Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the congenital heart surgery service in Lithuania.

Introduction: CHD is a unique group of medical pathologies. Literature worldwide reports significant decrements in the case volume of patients with these conditions due to the recent global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. The only centre providing congenital cardiac care for Lithuanian population is in a hospital which was the main medical institution for the sickest coronavirus disease 2019 patients.

Genotype-phenotype spectrum and prognosis of early-onset Marfan syndrome.

Background: Marfan syndrome is a genetic connective tissue disorder affecting skeletal, ocular, and cardiovascular organ systems. Previous research found that pathogenic variants clustered in exons 24-32 of fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene result in more severe clinical phenotypes. Furthermore, genotype-phenotype correlation studies suggested that more severe cardiovascular phenotypes were related to variants held responsible for haploinsufficiency.

Challenges in the diagnosis and management of isolated congenital complete atrioventricular block in premature newborns.

Diagnostic and treatment challenges of congenital complete atrioventricular block in two premature newborn babies are presented. Timely recognition of this fetal condition, appropriate antenatal care, and treatment at a tertiary level care hospital as well as prompt postnatal management of the newborn baby are the key factors for good outcome. Prematurity is also associated with an additional risk of poor outcome and complications.