Adherent Intrapericardial Teratoma: A Case Report.

Intrapericardial teratomas are rare tumours arising from all three germinal layers. They are mostly benign, but can lead to life-threatening complications such as cardiac tamponade in newborns, so surgical excision of the tumour should be done as early as possible once the diagnosis is made. We report a neonate diagnosed with a large intrapericardial teratoma, managed surgically with the help of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Adult Form of Scimitar Syndrome Presenting as Severe Pulmonary Hypertension in a Child.

Background: Scimitar syndrome is a rare association of congenital cardiopulmonary anomalies; the adult form is not usually is associated with pulmonary hypertension.

Case Characteristics: 6-year-old girl with recurrent episodes of cough and breathlessness, along with features of right heart enlargement. Computed tomography angiogram revealed right pulmonary veins draining into inferior vena cava with dextroposition of heart.

In search of a pediatric cardiac surgeon's 'Holy Grail': the ideal pulmonary conduit.

The limited lifespan of all currently available conduits leads to repeat operations and interventional procedures in many children. Each reoperation entails considerable risk to life, expenditure and compromised quality of life as the conduit degenerates. The ideal conduit should be available freely, inexpensive, require no anticoagulation, be resistant to infection, free from thromboembolism, have no gradients or regurgitation and have unlimited durability.

Importance of preservation of chordal apparatus in mitral valve replacement.

Mitral valve replacement often involves disruption of the chordal apparatus with disturbance of the annulo-papillary continuity. This results in significant downgrading of ventricular function. Analyzes various reports to accurately assess the advantages of chordal preservation.

Biatrial or bicaval technique for orthotopic heart transplantation: which is better?

Background: Orthotopic heart transplantation was done by the biatrial technique initially and the bicaval technique has become popular recently.

Aims: This study aims to determine if bicaval technique is advantageous.

Methods: Consecutive transplants performed between 1996 and 2001 were divided into two groups-37 patients done by bicaval and 38 by biatrial technique.

Mild supravalvular aortic stenosis with left coronary obstruction in a neonate.

A premature infant with a large patent ductus arteriosus and mild supravalvular aortic stenosis had evidence of severe myocardial ischemia after ductus ligation. Urgent reoperation was required to relieve severe obstruction of the left coronary orifice and the supravalvular stenosis was repaired. This unusual presentation early in infancy emphasizes that left coronary artery obstruction should be suspected even in the presence of mild supravalvular stenosis.

Tricuspid valve replacement: bioprosthetic or mechanical valve?

Significant morbidity and mortality is associated with tricuspid valve replacement, and controversy still exists as to the ideal prosthesis in this position. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for low cardiac output and mortality, and whether bioprosthetic or mechanical valves perform better in the tricuspid position. Results of 121 tricuspid valve replacements in 104 patients between January 1966 and December 2002 were reviewed.

Changing donor and recipient demographics in a heart transplantation program: influence on early outcome.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether broadening acceptance criteria for donor hearts and changing recipient demographics resulted in an increased perioperative morbidity and mortality in a heart transplant program.

Methods: Donor and recipient data of 137 consecutive heart transplants performed from 1987 to 2001 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into three equal eras, each of 5 years: 1987 to 1991, 1992 to 1996, and 1997 to 2001. Multivariate analyses of recipient and donor demographics and operative factors were performed to identify the predictors of low cardiac output, intraaortic balloon pump utilization, 30-day mortality, and duration of intensive care and hospital stay.