Technologically, advances in both transcatheter and surgical techniques have been continuing in the past 20 years, but an updated comprehensive comparison in device-based versus surgery in adults in terms of incidence of in-hospital mortality, perioperative stroke, and atrial fibrillation onset is still lacking. We investigate the performance of transcatheter device-based closure compared to surgical techniques by a systematic review and meta-analysis of the last 20 years literature data.

The analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Literature search was performed based on Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar to locate articles published between January 2000 and October 2020, regarding the comparison between short-term outcome and post-procedural complications of atrial septal defect patients receiving transcatheter or surgical closure. The primary outcome was the comparison of in-hospital mortality from all causes between patients treated with transcatheter closure or cardiac. Secondary outcomes were the onset of post-procedural atrial fibrillation or perioperative stroke.

A total of 2360 patients were included of which 1393 [mean age 47.6 years, 952 females (68.3%)] and 967 [mean age 40.3 years, 693 females (71.6%)] received a transcatheter device-based and surgery closure, respectively. In-hospital mortality [OR 0.16 (95% CI (0.66−0.44)), p = 0.0003, I2 = 0%], perioperative stroke [OR 0.51 (95% CI (0.31−0.84)), p = 0.003, I2 = 79%], and post-procedural atrial fibrillation [OR 0.14 (95% CI (0.03−0.61)), p = 0.009, I2 = 0%] significantly favoured transcatheter device-based closure

Transcatheter atrial septal defect closure resulted safer in terms of in-hospital mortality, perioperative stroke, and post-procedural atrial fibrillation compared to traditional surgery.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively impacted global healthcare. Consequences in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery programmes and mortality of congenital heart patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) is still to be determined.

To study the COVID-19 pandemic implications in Brazilian Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery programmes.

We conducted a national online survey covering all states that perform Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery from 10 November to 22 November, 2020, using a Google forms questionnaire. We formulated questions related to impact on surgical volume, case-mix, and mortality. Then we asked about short-term post-operative COVID-19 infection and outcomes.

We received responses from 46 centres representing all states where there were a Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery programme and all high-volume centres across the country. All but one centre experienced a significant decrease in surgical volume, and 23.9% of the responders revealed less than one-quarter of volume decrement. On the other hand, in over 70% of the centres, there was a significant surgical volume reduction. In addition to this, there was a shift in case-mix in 41 centres (89.1%) towards more complex cases. More than one-third of the responders revealed increased mortality in 2020 compared to previous years, and 43.5% of the programmes (20 centres) had at least one patient contaminated by SARS-Cov-2, accounting for 48 patients. Mortality in post-operative infected patients was 45.8% (22 patients).

In general, Brazilian Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery programmes were severely affected by decreased surgical volume, unbalanced case-mix towards more complex cases, and increased mortality. Almost half of the programmes related post-operative COVID-19 contamination with high mortality.

Vocal cord palsy is one of the recognised complications of complex cardiac surgery in the paediatric population. While there is an abundance of literature highlighting the presence of this complication, there is a scarcity of research focusing on the pathophysiology, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options available for children affected by vocal cord palsy.

Electronic searches were conducted using the search terms: “Vocal Cord Palsy,” “VCP,” “Vocal Cord Injury,” “Paediatric Heart Surgery,” “Congenital Heart Surgery,” “Pediatric Heart Surgery,” “Vocal Fold Movement Impairment,” “VFMI,” “Vocal Fold Palsy,” “PDA Ligation.” The inclusion criteria were any articles discussing the outcomes of vocal cord palsy following paediatric cardiac surgery.

The two main populations affected by vocal cord palsy are children undergoing aortic arch surgery or those undergoing PDA ligation. There is paucity of prospective follow-up studies; it is therefore difficult to reliably assess the current approaches and the long-term implications of management options.

Vocal cord palsy can be a devastating complication following cardiac surgery, which if left untreated, could potentially result in debilitation of quality of life and in severe circumstances could even lead to death. Currently, there is not enough high-quality evidence in the literature to aid recognition, diagnosis, and management leaving clinicians to extrapolate evidence from adult studies to make clinical judgements. Future research with a focus on the paediatric perspective is necessary in providing evidence for good standards of care.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus patients are non-specific and early diagnosis and intervention are challenging. It remains essential to explore risk factors for pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to identify high risk patients and allow intensive monitoring.

From January 2010 to December 2018, 84 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and pulmonary arterial hypertension and 160 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus but without pulmonary arterial hypertension were enrolled. Clinical manifestations and laboratory test results were compared between the two groups to identify predictors of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Candidate pulmonary arterial hypertension risk factors were further compared among systemic lupus erythematosus-pulmonary arterial hypertension patients with different characteristics.

Among collected patient characteristics, Raynaud’s phenomenon (OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.17–4.61), digital vasculitis (OR 4.12, 95% CI: 1.48–11.49), pericardial effusion, pulmonary interstitial lesions, positive anti-u1 ribonucleoprotein antibodies, and positive anticardiolipin antibodies immunoglobulin G were associated with significantly higher risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Among these candidate risk factors, positive anti-u1 ribonucleoprotein antibody was independently associated with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and more active disease. Digital vasculitis was independently associated with systemic lupus erythematosus alleviation, while pericardial effusion was associated with systemic lupus erythematosus deterioration. Pericardial effusion was associated with longer pulmonary arterial hypertension duration.

The significant association between studied clinical and laboratory indicators and risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension and systemic lupus erythematosus characteristics suggested that these factors can be used to identify patients at higher risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension and adverse outcomes. Close monitoring may be indicated in patients with these risk factors, especially with more than one risk factor.

Single centre retrospective cohort study of patients aged 8–18 years who underwent surgical pulmonary valve replacement. The primary predictor was preoperative percent predicted peak oxygen consumption, and primary outcome was total hospital length of stay. Clinical, imaging, and cardiopulmonary exercise test data were reviewed and compared to total hospital length of stay. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between total hospital length of stay and percent predicted peak oxygen consumption.

Three-hundred and seventy patients undergoing pulmonary valve replacement/conduit change between 2003 and 2017 at Boston Children’s Hospital were identified. Ninety had preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise tests within 6 months of surgery. Exclusion for inadequate exercise data (n = 3) and imaging data (n = 1) left 86 patients for review. Patients with percent predicted peak oxygen consumption ≥ 70% (n = 46, 53%) had shorter total hospital length of stay (4.4 days) than the 40 with percent predicted peak oxygen consumption <70% (5.4 days, p = 0.007). Median percent predicted peak oxygen consumption increased over sequential surgical eras (p < 0.001), but total hospital length of stay did not correlate with surgical era, preoperative left ventricular function, or preoperative right ventricular dilation.

Children undergoing surgical pulmonary valve replacement with better preoperative exercise capacity had shorter total hospital length of stay. Exercise capacity is a potentially modifiable factor prior to and after pulmonary valve replacement. Until more patients systematically undergo cardiopulmonary exercise tests, the full impact of optimisation of exercise capacity will not be known.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mid-term outcome of aortic valve replacement for bicuspid aortic valve and tricuspid aortic valve and the related risk factors.

From January 2014 to June 2019, 177 tricuspid aortic valve patients and 101 bicuspid aortic valve patients who underwent aortic valve replacement in our hospital were collected. 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was used to control the bias in patient selection. The perioperative and follow-up data between the two groups were compared. Independent risk factors which were associated with the continued dilatation of the ascending aorta were identified by univariate or multivariate logistic regression analysis.

After the matching procedure, 160 patients were included in the analysis (80 in each group). Baseline characteristics, intraoperative, and perioperative outcomes were similar between the two groups (all p > 0.05). Moreover, 67 patients in the tricuspid aortic valve group and 70 in the bicuspid aortic valve group completed the follow-up. The ascending aorta change, annual change rate, and the proportion of continuous dilation of ascending aorta in bicuspid aortic valve group were significantly higher than those in the tricuspid aortic valve group (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that type 1 in bicuspid aortic valve (OR 5.173; 95% CI 1.772, 15.101; p = 0.003), aortic regurgitation (OR 3.673; 95% CI 1.133, 11.908; p = 0.030), and aortic valve stenosis with regurgitation (OR 6.489; 95% CI 1.726, 24.404; p = 0.006) were independent risk factors for the continued dilatation of the ascending aorta in all AV patients. Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that type 1 in bicuspid aortic valve (OR 5.157; 95% CI 1.053, 25.272; p = 0.043), age ≥ 40 years (OR 6.956; 95% CI 1.228, 39.410; p = 0.028), and aortic regurgitation (OR 4.322; 95% CI 1.174, 15.911; p = 0.028) were independent risk factors for the continued dilatation of the ascending aorta in bicuspid aortic valve patients.

Compared with tricuspid aortic valve patients, the ascending aorta of bicuspid aortic valve patients is more likely to continue to enlarge after aortic valve replacement. Type 1 in bicuspid aortic valve, age ≥ 40 years, and aortic regurgitation were the independent risk factors.

Rhabdomyoma is the most common cardiac tumour in children. It is usually associated with tuberous sclerosis complex caused by mutations in TSC-1 or TSC-2 genes. This tumour typically regresses by unknown mechanisms; however, it may cause inflow or outflow obstruction that necessitates urgent surgery. Here we investigate the clinical features and the genetic analysis of patients with tuberous sclerosis complex presenting with large rhabdomyoma tumours. We also investigate the potential role of autophagy and apoptosis in the pathogenesis of this tumour.

All the patients with cardiac rhabdomyoma referred to Aswan Heart Centre from 2010 to 2018 were included in this study. Sanger sequencing was performed for coding exons and the flanking intronic regions of TSC1 and TSC2 genes. Histopathological evaluation, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were performed with P62, LC3b, caspase3, and caspase7, to evaluate autophagic and apoptotic signaling.

Five patients were included and had the clinical features of tuberous sclerosis complex. Three patients, who were having obstructive tumours, were found to have pathogenic mutations in TSC-2. The expression of two autophagic markers, P62 and LC3b, and two apoptotic markers, caspase3 and caspase7, were increased in the tumour cells compared to normal surrounding myocardial tissue.

All the patients with rhabdomyoma were diagnosed to have tuberous sclerosis complex. The patients who had pathogenic mutations in the TSC-2 gene had a severe disease form necessitating urgent intervention. We also demonstrate the potential role of autophagy and apoptosis as a possible mechanism for tumourigenesis and regression. Future studies will help in designing personalised treatment for cardiac rhabdomyoma.

To evaluate the discriminative ability of hyperlactataemia for early morbidity and mortality in neonates with CHD following cardiac surgery.

Retrospective, observational study of neonates who underwent cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass at a tertiary care children’s hospital from June 2015 to June 2019. The primary predictor was lactate. The primary composite outcome was defined as ≥1 of the following: cardiac arrest or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation within 72 hours or 30-day mortality post-operatively. The secondary outcome was the presence of major residual lesions, according to the Technical Performance Score.

Of 432 neonates, 28 (6.5%) sustained the composite outcome. On univariate analysis, peak lactate within 48 hours, increase in lactate from ICU admission through 12 hours, and single ventricle physiology were significantly associated with the composite outcome. The peak lactate occurred at a median of 2.9 hours (interquartile range: 1, 35) before the event. Through multi-variable analysis, a multi-variable risk algorithm was created. Predicted probabilities demonstrated an increasing risk based on single ventricle status and delta lactate, ranging from 1.8% (95% CI: 0.9, 3.9) to 52.4% (95% CI: 32.4, 71.7). The model had good discriminative ability for the composite outcome on receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.89). Moreover, a peak lactate of 7.3 mmol/l or greater was significantly associated with the presence of a major residual lesion (odds ratios: 5.16, 95% CI: 3.01, 8.87).

We present a simple, two-variable model, including delta lactate in the immediate post-operative period and single ventricle status, to prognosticate the risk of early morbidity and mortality in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery for potential intervention.

The objectives of the present study were to determine whether there was any association between the grade of heart failure, as expressed by preoperative levels of brain natriuretic peptide and Ross score, and the preoperative coagulation status in patients with non-restrictive ventricular shunts and determine whether there were any postoperative disturbances of the coagulation system in these patients, as measured by thromboelastometry and standard laboratory analyses of coagulation.

Perioperative coagulation was analysed with laboratory-based coagulation tests and thromboelastometry before, 8 hours after, and 18 hours after cardiac surgery. In addition, brain natriuretic peptide was analysed before and 18 hours after surgery.

40 children less than 12 months old with non-restrictive congenital ventricular or atrio-ventricular shunts scheduled for elective repair of their heart defects.

All coagulation parameters measured were within normal ranges preoperatively. There was a significant correlation between brain natriuretic peptide and plasma fibrinogen concentration preoperatively. There was no statistically significant correlation between brain natriuretic peptide and INTEM-MCF, FIBTEM-MCF, plasma fibrinogen, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, or platelet count at any other time point, either preoperatively or postoperatively. Postoperatively, fibrinogen plasma concentration and FIBTEM-MCF decreased significantly at 8 hours, followed by a large increase at 18 hours to higher levels than preoperatively.

There was no evidence of children with non-restrictive shunts having coagulation abnormalities before cardiac surgery. Brain natriuretic peptide levels or Ross score did not correlate with coagulation parameters in any clinically significant way.

The research was to introduce the experience of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defect (DCVSD) repaired through tricuspid approach.

From January, 2015 to September, 2019, 86 consecutive DCVSD paediatrics underwent repair via right subaxillary vertical incision (RAVI) through tricuspid approach. Perioperative and follow-up data were collected.

The age and weight at operation were 28.1 ± 18.5 (range: 7–101) months and 12.2 ± 4.2 (6–26.5) kg. There were two patients combined with discrete subaortic membrane, two patients with patent ductus arteriosus, one patient with atrial septal defect, and two patients with abnormal muscle bundle in right ventricular outflow tract. The mean size of ventricular septal defect was 7.0 ± 2.4 (3–13) mm. The defect was repaired with a piece of Dacron patch in 68 patients or directly with 1–2 pledgetted polypropylene sutures in 18 patients. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamp time were 46.2 ± 13.3 (23–101) minutes and 29.2 ± 11.5 (12–84) minutes. After 3.1 ± 2.4 (0–14) hours’ ventilator assist and 23.2 ± 32.1 (0–264) hours’ ICU stay, all patients were discharged safely. At the latest follow-up (27.9 ± 14.6 months), echocardiography showed trivial residual shunt in two patients. There was no malignant arrhythmia occurred and there was no chest deformity or asymmetrical development of the breast was found.

DCVSD repaired via right subaxillary vertical incision through tricuspid approach was safe and feasible, providing a feasible alternative to median sternotomy, and it can be performed with favourable cosmetic results.