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Open in new tab Download slide Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The interstage mortality rate after a Norwood stage 1 operation remains 12–20% in current series. In-hospital interstage facilitates escalation of care, possibly improving outcome. METHODS A retrospective study was designed for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and HLHS variants, offering an in-hospital stay after the Norwood operation until the completion of stage 2. Daily and weekly examinations were conducted systematically, including two-dimensional and speckle-tracking echocardiography. Primary end points included aggregate survival until the completion of stage 2 and interstage freedom from escalation of care. Moreover, we calculated the sensitivity and specificity of speckle-tracking echocardiographic myocardial deformation in predicting death/transplant after the Norwood procedure. RESULTS Between 2015 and 2019, 33 neonates with HLHS (24) or HLHS variants (9) underwent Norwood stage 1 (31) or hybrid palliation followed by a comprehensive stage 2 operation (2). Stage 1 Norwood–Sano was preferred in 18 (54.5%) neonates; the classic Norwood with Blalock–Taussig shunt was performed in 13 (39.4%) neonates. The Norwood stage 1 30-day mortality rate was 6.2%. The in-hospital interstage strategy was implemented after Norwood stage 1 with a 3.4% interstage mortality rate. The aggregate Norwood stage 1 and interstage Kaplan–Meier survival rate was 90.6 ± 5.2%. Escalation of care was necessary for 5 (17.2%) patients at 2.5 ± 1.2 months during the interstage for compromising atrial arrhythmias (2), Sano-shunt stenosis (1) and pneumonia requiring a high-frequency oscillator (2); there were no deaths. A bidirectional Glenn (25) or a comprehensive-Norwood stage 2 (2) was completed in 27 patients at 4.7 ± 1.2 months with a 92.6% survival rate. The overall Kaplan–Meier survival rate is 80.9 ± 7.0% at 4.3 years (mean 25.3 ± 15.7 months). An 8.7% Δ longitudinal strain 30 days after Norwood stage 1 had 100% sensitivity and 81% specificity for death/transplant. CONCLUSIONS In-hospital interstage facilitates escalation of care, which seems efficacious in reducing interstage Norwood deaths. A significant reduction of longitudinal strain after Norwood stage 1 is a strong predictor of poor outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Fontan failure (FF) represents a growing and challenging indication for paediatric orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The aim of this study was to identify predictors of the best mid-term outcome in OHT after FF. METHODS: Twenty-year multi-institutional retrospective analysis on OHT for FF. RESULTS: Between 1991 and 2011, 61 patients, mean age 15.0 ± 9.7 years, underwent OHT for failing atriopulmonary connection (17 patients = 27.8%) or total cavopulmonary connection (44 patients = 72.2%). Modality of FF included arrhythmia (14.8%), complex obstructions in the Fontan circuit (16.4%), protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) (22.9%), impaired ventricular function (31.1%) or a combination of the above (14.8%). The mean time interval between Fontan completion and OHT was 10.7 ± 6.6 years. Early FF occurred in 18%, requiring OHT 0.8 ± 0.5 years after Fontan. The hospital mortality rate was 18.3%, mainly secondary to infection (36.4%) and graft failure (27.3%). The mean follow-up was 66.8 ± 54.2 months. The overall Kaplan-Meier survival estimate was 81.9 ± 1.8% at 1 year, 73 ± 2.7% at 5 years and 56.8 ± 4.3% at 10 years. The Kaplan-Meier 5-year survival estimate was 82.3 ± 5.9% in late FF and 32.7 ± 15.0% in early FF (P = 0.0007). Late FF with poor ventricular function exhibited a 91.5 ± 5.8% 5-year OHT survival. PLE was cured in 77.7% of hospital survivors, but the 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimate in PLE was 46.3 ± 14.4 vs 84.3 ± 5.5% in non-PLE (P = 0.0147). Cox proportional hazards identified early FF (P = 0.0005), complex Fontan pathway obstruction (P = 0.0043) and PLE (P = 0.0033) as independent predictors of 5-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: OHT is an excellent surgical option for late FF with impaired ventricular function. Protein dispersion improves with OHT, but PLE negatively affects the mid-term OHT outcome, mainly for early infective complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The population of neonates and children with congenital heart defects presents about a 30% prevalence of associated genetic syndrome or additional extracardiac anomalies and may show an increased risk of death or major complication at cardiac surgery. Since a well-defined pattern of combined cardiac and extracardiac anomalies may be found in relation to specific genetic defects, correct understanding of the genetic issues may help improving diagnosis, surgical approach and final outcome of these patients. Hereby we review the medical and surgical issues correlated to the genetic asset in patients with congenital heart defects and genetic syndromes, including trisomy 21, deletion 22q11, Noonan/LEOPARD, Turner, Marfan and Williams syndromes. Recognition of specific surgical risk factors can lead to the preparation of specific diagnostic and perioperative protocols in order to reduce operative mortality and morbidity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Evaluation of incremental risk factors for early mortality in children undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) for failing single ventricle physiology. Methods: Between 1988 and 2002, 25 patients (mean age 9.3±7.1 years) underwent OHT for complex congenital heart disease (CHD) with a functional right (15 patients) or left (10 patients) single ventricle. Palliative staging towards Fontan completion had been previously accomplished in 22 patients (88%). Transition to OHT occurred from a shunt stage in 10, a bi-directional cavopulmonary anastomosis (BDG) stage in nine, and after Fontan failure in six patients. Results: Thirty-day survival was 68.0±9.3% with no additional mortality up to 14.1 years. OHT following BDG staging exhibited 100% long-term survival, as opposed to 66.7±15.7% for OHT after systemic-to-pulmonary shunt, and 33.3±19.2% for OHT following failing Fontan (p=0.032). Regression logistic modelling indicated failing Fontan circulation as predictor of higher mortality after OHT (p=0.041). Reintervention was necessary in four patients 40±11 months after OHT to address residual superior vena cava (two) and isthmic (two) stenosis. Overall freedom from reintervention was 88.3±8.1% at 5 years. Conclusions: OHT for structural CHD with single ventricle physiology entails substantial early mortality while BDG enables the best transition to heart transplant. OHT should be considered in the decision-making process as an alternative to Fontan completion in high-risk candidates, since rescue-OHT after failing Fontan seems unwarranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To evaluate late outcome of non-isomeric total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) repair, controlling for anatomic subtypes and surgical technique. Methods: Between 1983 and 2001, 89 patients (median age 54 days) underwent repair for supracardiac (38), cardiac (26), infracardiac (16) or mixed (nine) TAPVC. Ten patients (11.2%) presented associated anomalies other than PDA. Twenty-eight patients (31.5%) were emergencies, due to obstructed drainage. Supracardiac and infracardiac TAPVC repair included the double-patch technique with left atrial enlargement in 29 patients and side-to-side anastomosis between the pulmonary venous (PV) confluence and the left atrium in 29 patients. Coronary sinus unroofing was preferred for cardiac TAPVC repair. Total follow-up was 727.16 patient-years (mean 8.55 years, 98.8% complete). Results: Early mortality was 7.86% (7/89). Ten patients (11.2%) underwent reintervention, including reoperation (eight), balloon dilation (one) and intraoperative stents placement (one), for anastomotic (four) or diffuse PV stenosis (six), with four late deaths. Kaplan–Meier survival is 87.3±0.036 SE% at 18.07 years with no difference according to anatomic type or surgical technique. Freedom from PV reintervention for operative survivors is 86.7±0.052 SE% at 18.07 years. Cox proportional hazard indicates associated anomalies (P=0.008) and reoperation for intrinsic PV stenosis (P=0.034) as independent predictors of mortality. According to logistic analysis, preoperative obstruction predicts higher risk of reintervention for intrinsic PV stenosis (P=0.022), while the double-patch technique increased the risk of late arrhythmias (P=0.005). Conclusions: Side-to-side anastomosis provides excellent results for TAPVC repair while left atrial enlargement procedures appear to be associated with higher risk of late arrhythmias. Although early and aggressive reintervention for recurrent PV obstruction is mandatory, intrinsic PV stenosis remains a predictor of adverse outcome. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present a case of a 71-year-old Caucasian male with a ventriculo-atrial defect due to infective endocarditis, originating from his aortic root near a bioprosthetic aortic valve, implanted 4 years earlier. Ventriculo-atrial defects are rare and can occur after endocarditis with abscess formation, usually in native tissue. We report a ventriculo-atrial defect due to a paravalvular aortic prosthetic defect, secondary to inflammation, a novel third type of a Gerbode defect. Case presentation, clinical decision making and surgical approach are discusses in this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the mid-term outcome of hospital survivors with extracardiac Fontan circulation. Background: Few data exist about the mid-term and long-term results of the extracardiac Fontan operation. Methods: From November 1988 to November 2003, 221 patients underwent an extracardiac Fontan procedure as primary (9 patients) or secondary (212 patients) palliation, at a mean age of 72.2 months (range 13.1 to 131.3 months). A total of 165 of 193 early survivors underwent programmed noninvasive follow-up evaluations and at least one cardiac catheterization. Results: The overall survival, including operative deaths, was 85% at 15 years. Freedom from late failure among hospital survivors is 92% at 15 years. A total of 127 of 165 survivors (77%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I. The incidence of late major problems was 24% (42 major problems in 36 of 165 patients): 19 patients had arrhythmias (11%), 5 patients had obstruction of the extracardiac conduit (3%) and 6 of the left pulmonary artery (3.5%), and 5 patients experienced ventricular failure (3%), leading to heart transplantation in 3 patients. Protein-losing enteropathy was found in two patients (1%). The incidence of late re-interventions was 12.7% (21 of 165 patients, including 15 epicardial pacemaker implantations). Four patients died (2.3%), two after heart transplantation. Conclusions: After 15 years of follow-up, the overall survival, the functional status, and the cardiopulmonary performance of survivors of the extracardiac Fontan procedure compare favorably with other series of patients who underwent the lateral tunnel approach. The incidence of late deaths, obstructions of the cavopulmonary pathway, re-interventions, and arrhythmias is lower than that reported late after other Fontan-type operations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]