Long-term patient-reported outcomes following congenital heart surgery in adults.

Objective: To investigate the long-term impact of cardiac surgery on the quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHDs).

Methods: Patients who had undergone cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) at the age of 18 years or more were recruited in a single-center, cross-sectional study. The enrolled subjects completed online questionnaires to assess patient-reported outcomes: perceived health status and life satisfaction, psychological functioning, health behaviors, and illness perception.

Anatomic and Physiologic Repair of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries.

Background: Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is a rare cardiac anomaly. The management strategy historically consisted of physiologic repair, leaving the morphologic right ventricle to support the systemic circulation. More recently, anatomic repair has been implemented to bring the left ventricle into the systemic circulation.

Yasui procedure for an interrupted aortic arch type C with an aberrant right subclavian artery from the pulmonary artery: right subclavian artery-free graft technique.

A male neonate (2.5 kg) who presented with an interrupted aortic arch type C, hypoplasia of the aortic valve and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction received bilateral pulmonary artery bands as a first step of a hybrid interim palliation. Due to an intimal tissue flap at the origin of the left common carotid artery and a high-risk situation for PDA stenting, a complete early correction was undertaken.

Single center experience with ABO-incompatible and ABO-compatible pediatric heart transplantation.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the results after pediatric heart transplantation (pHTx) at our single center differentiating between ABO-incompatible (ABOi) and -compatible (ABOc) procedures.

Methods And Patients: We retrospectively analyzed outcomes of ABO-incompatible HTx procedures performed at our center and compared the data to ABO-compatible HTx of the same era. Eighteen children (<17 months) underwent pediatric HTx and seven of them underwent ABO-incompatible HTx between 2003 and 2015.

Surgical outcome of the borderline hypoplastic left ventricle: impact of the left ventricle rehabilitation strategy.

Objective: This study aims to assess the surgical outcome of borderline hypoplastic left ventricle before and after the induction of the left ventricle rehabilitation strategy.

Methods: A retrospective review investigated patients with borderline hypoplastic left ventricle who underwent surgical intervention between 2012 and 2022. The patient cohort was stratified into two groups based on the initiation of left ventricle rehabilitation: an early-era group (E group, 2012-2017) and a late-era group (L group, 2018-2022).

Outcomes after bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt with antegrade pulmonary blood flow in high-risk patients.

Objective: We have left antegrade pulmonary blood flow (APBF) at bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCPS) only for high-risk patients. This study evaluates the indication and the outcomes of patients with APBF, compared to those without APBF.

Methods: Patients with APBF after BCPS were identified among patients who underwent BCPS between 1997 and 2022.

Case report: Paracorporeal lung assist device for 215 days as a bridge-to-lung transplantation in a patient with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a known and life limiting complication of preterm born young adults with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), ultimately leading to progressive right ventricular (RV) failure. Prognosis remains poor, especially in patients unresponsive to modern vasoactive pharmacotherapy. Therefore, lung transplantation presents the treatment of choice to avert cardiac failure.

Morphology of the native ascending aorta after the Norwood procedure for aortic atresia: impact on survival and right ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives: Our goal was to evaluate the impact of variable morphology of the native ascending aorta after the Norwood I procedure in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome/aortic atresia on long-term survival and systemic right ventricular dysfunction.

Methods: Of 151 survivors of the Norwood procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome/aortic atresia at our institution between January 2001 and December 2020, we included patients with available and measurable aortograms prior to stage II palliation. The diameter of the native ascending aorta, the length of the native ascending aorta and the angle between the native ascending aorta and the proximal pulmonary artery were measured.

Biventricular assist device implant using biatrial cannulation for restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Preoperative calculations showed that the 9-mm inlet, 6-mm outlet, 25-cc pump chambers and 65-73 bpm would be optimal for a 5-year-old patient suffering from restrictive cardiomyopathy, with a body surface area of 0.59 m2 (1.5 L/min flow for a cardiac index of 2.

Relationship of Aortopulmonary Collaterals and Pulmonary Artery Development During Staged Single Ventricle Reconstruction.

To evaluate the relationship of aortopulmonary collaterals and the development of central pulmonary arteries during staged palliation. A total of 287 patients, who underwent staged palliation with bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt and total cavopulmonary connection between 2008 and 2019, had available angiography. Pulmonary artery index was calculated using pulmonary angiography as described by Nakata and colleagues.

Mobile bedside ductus arteriosus closure in severely premature neonates using only echocardiographic guidance.

Background: Transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants is currently dependent on fluoroscopic guidance and transportation to the catheterization laboratory.

Aim: We describe a new echocardiographically guided technique to allow our team to move to the bedside at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the referring center for percutaneous treatment of PDA in premature infants.

Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective, primarily descriptive analysis.

PATHFINDER-CHD: prospective registry on adults with congenital heart disease, abnormal ventricular function, and/or heart failure as a foundation for establishing rehabilitative, prehabilitative, preventive, and health-promoting measures: rationale, aims, design and methods.

Background: Adults with congenital heart defects (ACHD) globally constitute a notably medically underserved patient population. Despite therapeutic advancements, these individuals often confront substantial physical and psychosocial residua or sequelae, requiring specialized, integrative cardiological care throughout their lifespan. Heart failure (HF) is a critical challenge in this population, markedly impacting morbidity and mortality.

Correction of absent pulmonary valve syndrome using hilum-to-hilum internal pulmonary artery plication plasty.

A 12-month-old girl (8.4 kg) with absent pulmonary valve syndrome and enlarged bilateral pulmonary arteries underwent trans-tricuspid ventricular septal defect closure, placement of a right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery conduit and hilum-to-hilum internal pulmonary artery plication plasty.

Quantification of ventricular stress in univentricular hearts during early childhood using age-independent zlog-NT-proBNP.

Background: Children with univentricular hearts (UVH) undergo up to three palliative surgical procedures to achieve complete circulatory separation (Fontan circulation). As a marker of cardiac wall stress, NT-proBNP is a promising tool to assess systemic ventricular load in these patients. However, different reference intervals (RI) apply to each stage, as NT-proBNP is highly age-dependent.

Novel para-aortic cardiac assistance using a pre-stretched dielectric elastomer actuator.

Objectives: We propose an evolution of a dielectric elastomer actuator-based cardiac assist device that acts as a counterpulsation system. We introduce a new pre-stretched actuator and implant the device in a graft bypass between the ascending and descending aorta to redirect all blood through the device (ascending aorta clamped). The objective was to evaluate the influence of these changes on the assistance provided to the heart.

Impact of the operative technique on mid- and long-term results following paediatric heart transplantation.

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the impact of the bicaval technique versus the biatrial technique (by Lower and Shumway) in paediatric heart transplant patients. Only a few studies investigate this matter regarding the long-term outcome after paediatric heart transplantation. We compared the two surgical methods regarding survival, the necessity of pacemaker implantation.