Rare association of a carotid pseudoaneurysm and coarctation of the aorta.

We describe the occurrence of a carotid pseudoaneurysm in a child 3 years following cannulation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This lesion occurred in the context of a previously unsuspected coarctation of the aorta. This may likely predispose to the development of the pseudoaneurysm or may be an incidental association.

Pediatric heart and lung transplantation.

During the last two decades, several advances have resulted in marked improvement in medium-term survival with excellent quality of life in pediatric heart transplant recipients. These were possible due to better donor and recipient selection, increased surgical experience in transplantation for complex congenital heart disease, development of effective rejection surveillance, and wider choice of immunosuppressive medications. Despite all of these advances, recipients suffer from the adverse effects of non-specific immunosuppression including infections, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders and other malignancies, renal dysfunction and other important end-organ toxicities.

Immunosuppression in Pediatric Heart Transplantation: 2003 and Beyond.

Advances in immunosuppressive therapy have contributed to the improved long-term survival of pediatric heart transplant recipients over the past two decades. The introduction of cyclosporine in the early 1980s (the first oral agent to selectively target T-lymphocyte pathways) led to a dramatic reduction in acute rejection rates and improved graft and patient survival. A combination of cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroids ("triple therapy") became the standard of care for pediatric and adult heart transplantation.