7-Year outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement with a stented bovine pericardial bioprosthesis in over 1100 patients: a prospective multicenter analysis.

Objectives: Safety, efficacy, and durability are important considerations when selecting a bioprosthesis for aortic valve replacement (AVR). This study assessed 7-year clinical outcomes and haemodynamic performance of the Avalus bioprosthesis.

Methods: Patients indicated for surgical AVR were enrolled in this prospective, nonrandomized trial, conducted across 39 sites globally.

Examining the typical hemodynamic performance of nearly 3000 modern surgical aortic bioprostheses.

Objectives: The objective of this analysis was to assess the normal haemodynamic performance of contemporary surgical aortic valves at 1 year postimplant in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement for significant valvular dysfunction. By pooling data from 4 multicentre studies, this study will contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of surgical aortic valve replacement procedures, aiding clinicians and researchers in making informed decisions regarding valve selection and patient management.

Methods: Echocardiograms were assessed by a single core laboratory.

The Ross Operation in Young Patients: A 15-Year Experience Focused on Right Ventricle to Pulmonary Artery Conduit Outcomes.

Background: Data on long-term outcomes of the Ross operation in children and young adult patients are limited. The best pulmonary valve substitute for the right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in the Ross operation in young patients using various pulmonary valve substitutes at a single institution.

Pledgeted versus nonpledgeted sutures in aortic valve replacement: Insights from a prospective multicenter trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare short- and midterm clinical and echocardiographic outcomes according to the use of pledgeted sutures during aortic valve replacement.

Methods: Patients with aortic stenosis or regurgitation requiring aortic valve replacement were enrolled in a prospective cohort study to evaluate the safety of a new stented bioprosthesis. Outcomes were analyzed according to the use of pledgets (pledgeted group) or no pledgets (nonpledgeted group).

Surgical aortic valve replacement with a stented pericardial bioprosthesis: 5-year outcomes.

Objectives: This analysis evaluated the safety, durability and haemodynamic performance of a stented bovine pericardial valve through 5 years of follow-up in patients with an indication for surgical aortic valve replacement.

Methods: Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the incidence of survival and valve-related thromboembolism, major paravalvular leak, endocarditis, structural valve deterioration (SVD) and reintervention. The mean aortic gradient and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class were also evaluated.

Berlin Heart EXCOR Paediatric Ventricular Assist Device: Does Weight Matter?

Background: Berlin Heart EXCOR (BH) ventricular assist devices provide mechanical long-term circulatory support in children with end-stage heart failure, as a bridge to transplantation or to recovery. Most studies are from large-volume paediatric cardiac centres.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the experiences of three French centres and to compare these with available published data.

Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery: modified extra-anatomic reimplantation.

The anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery in the position of a non-facing coronary sinus is extremely rare. The anatomical position of the ectopic ostia will determine which is the appropriate operative approach to create a dual-coronary supply. This report describes a technique of modified extra-anatomical rerouting using autologous pericardium patch and pulmonary artery flap to create a neo-composite coronary trunk passing anterior to the right ventricular outflow tract.

Anatomic Repair of a Left Coronary Artery Main Stem Atresia.

Atresia of the main stem of the left coronary artery is the least observed congenital coronary anomaly; most patients tend to receive a coronary artery bypass graft, although some anatomical corrections have been described. A 17-year-old female patient with left coronary artery main stem atresia underwent a coronary trunk construction with an autologous pericardial patch in our department. At a 3-year follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic, with a normal cardiac stress test.

Comparison of Transcarotid vs. Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Recently, the carotid artery has been used as an alternative approach for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aim of this study was to prove the safety and feasibility of transcarotid (TC) vs. transfemoral (TF) TAVI.

Early to mid-term results after total cavopulmonary connection performed in the second decade of life.

Objectives: Total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) performed in the second decade of life has rarely been studied. Thus, we investigated (bicentric study) early and late morbidity and mortality following completion of TCPC in these patients.

Methods: From January 1999 to June 2014, 63 patients (14.

Combined Nuss Procedure and Cardiac Procedure Through a Left Anterolateral Thoracotomy.

Aortic root aneurysms associated with severe pectus excavatum caused by Marfan's syndrome can be challenging to correct in children. Recent reports suggest single-stage correction of both cardiac and chest wall deformities through a median sternotomy. We report a 9-year-old girl with Marfan's syndrome, an ascending aorta aneurysm, mitral regurgitation, and pectus excavatum, who underwent David's procedure with mitral valve repair and the Nuss procedure to correct the thoracic deformity.

Right Thoracotomy to Repair Scimitar Syndrome and an Accessory Hemidiaphragm.

The association of an accessory hemidiaphragm and scimitar syndrome is extremely rare and occurs exclusively in the right hemithorax. We present the case of a 27-year-old female, who underwent complete resection of the accessory hemidiaphragm and direct anastomosis of the scimitar vein to the left atrium through a lateral right thoracotomy. This surgical approach offered easy access to both anomalies and allowed single-stage concomitant repair; this approach avoided postoperative respiratory complications and possible torsion or stenosis of the scimitar vein.

Scimitar Syndrome Repair in Adults: Intermediate-Term Results Using an Extracardiac Conduit.

Background: Scimitar syndrome may be corrected using different techniques. Repair using an extracardiac conduit has rarely been performed. This study assessed the intermediate-term outcomes of this technique in adults.

New Technique for Surgical Epicardial Implantation of a Cardioverter-Defibrillator in Children and Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: We assessed a surgical technique for implanting a cardioverter-defibrillator. The indications for cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in pediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease are relatively specific and require multidisciplinary discussion regarding implantation modalities. We coupled the positioning of two coils sutured to the pericardium with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device inserted within a supradiaphragmatic pocket in a population of children and adults with congenital heart disease.

Upper Sternal Cleft With a Complex Congenital Heart Defect: Repair in a Single Stage.

Sternal clefts are extremely rare in association with complex congenital heart defects, and their management can be challenging. Complete surgical repair in early infancy, of both anomalies in a single stage, is advocated. Different surgical techniques exist for isolated sternal cleft repair, but they do not consider the difficulties of combining sternal defect closure and a cardiac operation with the unavoidable postoperative cardiac edema.

Pulmonary-Valve Replacement in Adults: Results With the Medtronic Freestyle Valve.

Background: We used the Medtronic Freestyle valve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) as an orthotopic conduit in pulmonary valve replacement in repaired tetralogy of Fallot and as part of the Ross procedure. Midterm outcomes and hemodynamic status of this conduit were analyzed and performances in both subgroups were compared.

Methods: From February 2002 to July 2012, 115 Freestyle valves were implanted in 52 patients with tetralogy of Fallot and 63 patients within the Ross procedure.

Left posterolateral thoracotomy: an alternative approach for pulmonary valve replacement.

Pulmonary valve replacement in adults who have a repaired tetralogy of Fallot is realized through a redo median sternotomy. A dilated ascending aorta is often present and adherent to the sternum and can be injured during sternum reentry, with dramatic consequences. We report on an adult patient with a corrected tetralogy of Fallot who underwent pulmonary valve replacement, thick transannular patch excision, and left pulmonary artery enlargement.

Early to midterm results of total cavopulmonary connection in adult patients.

Background: Total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) has not been studied in adults. We investigated early and midterm morbidity and mortality in adults undergoing TCPC and assessed risk factors for mortality.

Methods: Between June 1994 and October 2010, 30 adults (21.

Late outcome of 132 Senning procedures after 20 years of follow-up.

Background: Risk factors and rates of reoperation, arrhythmias, systemic right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), and late death after a Senning procedure were investigated.

Methods: One-hundred thirty-two patients underwent a Senning operation between 1977 and 2004 (105 simple and 27 complex transpositions of the great arteries). Mean follow-up time was 19.

Intra-diaphragmatic pacemaker implantation in very low weight premature neonate.

Implantation of a pacemaker (PM) in very low weight premature neonates can be a challenging procedure because of the actual dimension of generators. Ideal placement of the PM is still controversial. We describe a technique of intra-diaphragmatic PM implantation in a 1.

Right coronary sinus fixation through a right ventriculotomy for David's procedure.

A key element to the success of aortic valve reimplantation (David's procedure) is the position of the aortic annulus in the Dacron tube (DuPont, Wilmington, DE). The variable level of the right ventricular insertion can cause technical difficulties, especially when the right ventricular insertion occurs above the aortic annulus. To resolve this issue, a technical adjunct is described using a right superior ventriculotomy.

Endovascular treatment of an aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta in a heart transplant recipient: long-term result.

Heart-transplanted patients have a known higher incidence of aortic aneurysms. However, there is paucity of information regarding thoracic localisation in this clinical setting and of the endovascular option in such patients with chronically high level of immunosuppressive agents. We describe long-term follow-up of a 72-year-old man who developed an aneurysm of the descending part of the thoracic aorta 10 years after an orthotopic cardiac transplantation.

Significant improvement of cardiac sympathetic function following cardiac support device implantation: illustration by 123I-MIBG scintigraphy.

Cardiac support device implantation is a new and promising therapy for refractory heart failure. If functional and echocardiographic modifications have largely been reported following this procedure, there is a paucity of information in the clinical setting about cellular abnormalities modifications during the 'reverse remodeling' process. We report for the first time a clinical measurement of cardiac sympathetic function using 123I-MIBG scintigraphy following cardiac support device implantation.