Outcomes After Hybrid Palliation for Infants With Critical Left Heart Obstruction.

Background: Hybrid palliation (bilateral pulmonary artery banding with or without ductal stenting) is an initial management strategy for infants with critical left heart obstruction and serves as palliation until subsequent operations are pursued.

Objectives: This study sought to determine patient characteristics and factors associated with subsequent outcomes for infants who underwent hybrid palliation.

Methods: From 2005 to 2019, 214 of 1,236 prospectively enrolled infants within the Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society's critical left heart obstruction cohort underwent hybrid palliation across 24 institutions.

Norwood operation versus comprehensive stage II after bilateral pulmonary artery banding palliation for infants with critical left heart obstruction.

Objective: To determine patient characteristics and outcomes after Norwood versus comprehensive stage II (COMPSII) for infants with critical left heart obstruction who had prior hybrid palliation (bilateral pulmonary artery banding ± ductal stent).

Methods: From 23 Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society institutions (2005-2020), 138 infants underwent hybrid palliation followed by either Norwood (n = 73, 53%) or COMPSII (n = 65). Baseline characteristics were compared between Norwood and COMPSII groups.

Preliminary Results With a Novel Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene-based Pulmonary Valved Conduit.

Background: A novel polymeric pulmonary valved conduit, resistant to calcification and structural valve deterioration, may provide a more durable therapy option for the pediatric population by preventing loss of right ventricular function and increasing freedom from valve-related reintervention and mortality.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm study evaluating safety and performance of an investigational novel expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-based valve. Patients met study inclusion/exclusion criteria, had a signed informed consent, had pre- and postoperative evaluation via transthoracic echocardiography, and 6-month cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

There's an App for That; Improving Communication during Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Introduction: Waiting while a loved one is in surgery can be a very stressful time. Current processes for updating families vary from institution to institution. Providing timely and relevant updates, while important to the family, may strain a surgical team's operational system.

Changes in right ventricular function in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before and after the hybrid procedure.

Aims: Decreased right ventricular function via deformation analysis has been noted in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) after the Norwood procedure. No data exist in HLHS patients undergoing the hybrid procedure. The goal of this study was to evaluate right ventricular functional changes in HLHS patients undergoing the hybrid procedure under steady-state conditions.

Potential Molecular Mechanism of Retrograde Aortic Arch Stenosis in the Hybrid Approach to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Background: The hybrid palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome has emerged as an alternative approach to the Norwood procedure. The development of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in-stent stenosis can cause retrograde aortic arch stenosis (RAAS), leading to significant morbidity. This study aimed to identify potential mechanisms of PDA in-stent stenosis contributing to RAAS.

Helium-oxygen mixture to facilitate ventilation in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation.

A combination of helium and oxygen (heliox) can facilitate gas exchange and limit peak inspiratory pressures through reduced resistance to gas flow and decreased turbulent flow. The combination of these gases has been used for a variety of upper and lower airway conditions, including patients who were spontaneously breathing, receiving noninvasive ventilation, as well as during mechanical ventilation. To date, there are no reports regarding the use of heliox in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following lung transplantation.

Necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates undergoing the hybrid approach to complex congenital heart disease.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in neonates undergoing the Stage I hybrid procedure for palliation of complex congenital heart disease (CHD). Neonates undergoing the Norwood surgery for hypoplastic left-heart syndrome have the highest risk for NEC of all CHD patients. The hybrid procedure is another palliative option for hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, but NEC in neonates undergoing this procedure has not been reported.

Thrombotic risk of recombinant factor seven in pediatric cardiac surgery: a single institution experience.

Background: Recombinant activated factor seven (rFVIIa) is increasingly being used as a hemostatic adjunct in pediatric cardiac surgery. We evaluated the thrombotic safety profile of rFVIIa in pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery.

Methods: This was a retrospective matched case-control study over six years at a single institution.

The retrograde aortic arch in the hybrid approach to hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Background: Before palliative stage 2 for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the coronary and cerebral circulations are often dependent on retrograde perfusion by means of the aortic arch. Results of hybrid palliation with a focus on patients exhibiting retrograde aortic arch obstruction (RAAO) were analyzed.

Methods: From July 2002 to March 2008 66 consecutive hybrid procedures for hypoplastic left heart syndrome were performed.

Palliation via hybrid procedure of a 1.4-kg patient with a hypoplastic left heart.

Despite improvements in survival of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with various palliative procedures, certain risk factors, such as weight less than 2.5 kg, continue to predict increased mortality. We report the palliation of a patient with HLHS weighing 1.

Cardiac transplantation after the Fontan or Glenn procedure.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review the clinical course and outcome of cardiac transplantation after a failed Glenn or Fontan procedure.

Background: Late complications of the Glenn or Fontan procedure, including ventricular failure, cyanosis, protein-losing enteropathy, thromboembolism, and dysrhythmias often lead to significant morbidity and mortality. If other therapies are ineffective, cardiac transplantation is the only therapeutic recourse.

Combined heart and lung transplantation for unresectable primary cardiac sarcoma.

Objective: The prognosis for patients with primary cardiac sarcoma is poor. Median survival is less than 10 months, especially when complete surgical excision is not feasible. Removal of all cardiopulmonary structures involved by tumor followed by orthotopic allotransplantation has been proposed to improve long-term survival.

Stage I palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome in low birth weight neonates: can we justify it?

Objective: Although the outcome of cardiac surgery in neonates with low birth weight (LBW) has improved, LBW remains a risk factor for surgical palliation. Few surgical series of LBW patients include those with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). To identify variables associated with poor outcome in this group, we reviewed our experience with patients with HLHS and LBW who underwent Stage I Norwood palliation.

Anatomy of the aortic and pulmonary roots.

The use of the pulmonary autograft for aortic root replacement has renewed interest in the morphology of the arterial roots. In this article the basic construction of the roots, their anchorage, and their support from surrounding structures are reviewed. The arterial roots manifest a complex anatomy, with an intricate relation between the anulus and its adjacent structures, which span the transition from ventricle to the great vessel.