Switching the Left and the Right Hearts: A Novel Bi-ventricle Mechanical Support Strategy with Spared Native Single-Ventricle

End-stage Fontan patients with single-ventricle (SV) circulation are often bridged-to-heart transplantation via mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Donor shortage and complexity of the SV physiology demand innovative MCS. In this paper, an out-of-the-box circulation concept, in which the left and right ventricles are switched with each other is introduced as a novel bi-ventricle MCS configuration for the "failing" Fontan patients. In the proposed configuration, the systemic circulation is maintained through a conventional mechanical ventricle assist device (VAD) while the venous circulation is delegated to the native SV. This approach spares the SV and puts it to a new use at the right-side providing the most-needed venous flow pulsatility to the failed Fontan circulation. To analyze its feasibility and performance, eight SV failure modes have been studied via an established multi-compartmental lumped parameter cardiovascular model (LPM). Here the LPM model is experimentally validated against the corresponding pulsatile mock-up flow loop measurements of a representative 15-year-old Fontan patient employing a clinically-approved VAD (Medtronic-HeartWare). The proposed surgical configuration maintained the healthy cardiac index (3-3.5 l/min/m2) and the normal mean systemic arterial pressure levels. For a failed SV with low ejection fraction (EF = 26%), representing a typical systemic Fontan failure, the proposed configuration enabled a ~ 28 mmHg amplitude in the venous/pulmonary waveforms and a 2 mmHg decrease in the central venous pressure (CVP) together with acceptable mean pulmonary artery pressures (17.5 mmHg). The pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR)-SV failure case provided a ~ 5 mmHg drop in the CVP, with venous/pulmonary pulsatility reaching to ~ 22 mmHg. For the high PVR failure case with a healthy SV (EF = 44%) pulmonary hypertension is likely to occur as expected. While this condition is routinely encountered during the heart transplantation and managed through pulmonary vasodilators a need for precise functional assessment of the spared failed-ventricle is recommended if utilized in the PVR failure mode. Comprehensive in vitro and in silico results encourage this novel concept as a low-cost, more physiological alternative to the conventional bi-ventricle MCS pending animal experiments.

Is there an Unnoticed Etiology of Right Atrial Aneurysm?

A 12-year-old male was referred for surgery with the diagnosis of right atrial aneurysm. Resection of the right atrial aneurysm was performed under total cardiopulmonary bypass. Besides a very thin muscular layer, histopathological evaluation of the aneurysm specimen revealed extensive eosinophilic infiltration at the epicardial side which, from place to place showed penetrations into the muscular layer. The screening tests performed for determination of the etiology of eosinophilia were indeterminate supporting the diagnosis of idiopathic right atrial aneurysm. In conclusion, although the reason for the eosinophilia could not be detected, it may have a part in the development of right atrial aneurysm that merits further investigation.

Characteristics and transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus in patients living at moderate to high altitude in Eastern Anatolia

OBJECTIVE

The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is greater among patients living at high altitude. In this po-pulation, the ductal diameter is often larger and pulmonary hypertension is more frequent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic and morphological features of PDA and transcatheter closure procedures performed with various devices in a group of patients living at high altitude in Turkey.

METHODS

The data of 327 patients who lived at an altitude of at least 1600 m above sea level and who had undergone cardiac catheterization for isolated PDA between May 2010 and July 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean age was 7.33±7.67 years, and 62.4% of the patients were female. The mean ductal diameter was 3.74±2.14 mm. Pulmonary hypertension was present in 57.8%. Transcatheter closure was performed in 322 patients, with a 97.3% success rate. The Amplatzer duct occluder I (ADO I) was used most often, as well as off-label use of the Amplatzer vascular plug II (AVP) and the Amplatzer muscular ventricular septal defect occluder (AMVSDO). Pulmonary artery pressure decreased immediately in the vast majority after percutaneous closure. Transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction after ductal closure was seen only rarely. Follow-up was uneventful.

CONCLUSION

Transcatheter PDA closure can be performed with high success rate in highlanders. Off-label devices may be required for these procedures. Pulmonary hypertension is frequent but regresses after ductal closure. Transient left ventricular dysfunction after transcatheter closure is rarely seen in these patients and resolves without any medication.

Comparison Between Nomograms Used to Define Pediatric Aortic Arch Hypoplasia: Retrospective Evaluation Among Patients Less Than 1 Year Old with Coarctation of the Aorta

Although various modalities are currently in use to define pediatric aortic arch hypoplasia (AAH), there is little uniformity among them. We aimed to determine the inter-rater strength of agreement of the nomograms in a survey of patients less than 1 year old, who had undergone coarctation of the aorta (CoA) repair with or without AAH. This retrospectively designed study comprised of 105 patients with CoA, who had been evaluated between 2008 and 2018 by means of a computed tomography angiogram. Through re-estimation of the aortic arch segmental diameters, the z scores were calculated using three nomograms (Cantinotti, Pettersen, Lopez). Along with a t test and Pearson's correlation coefficient, a linear regression analysis, Bland-Altman plots, and Cohen's kappa k value were used to evaluate inter-rater strength of agreement. The mean age and weight of the cohort was 73.3 ± 81.2 days and 4.2 ± 1.6 kg, respectively. Sixty-four (61%) patients were neonates. The z scores of the nomograms for each aortic arch segment were significantly different. Although there was a significantly positive correlation between the nomograms with their related aortic arch diameter, the differences in z scores revealed considerable deviations in the scatter plot diagrams. The mean difference of z scores was significantly different from the testing value of zero, which was also presented in Bland-Altman plots. None of the comparisons reached a kappa k value of > 0.9. The current nomograms do not reveal an acceptable level of agreement for the definition of the AAH. The question is which modality to rely on when deciding on the surgical approach and technique of CoA repair to address the hypoplastic aortic arch segment. Decisions about the surgical approach and the technique of repair warrant a reliable definition of AAH. It is high time that a consensus is reached in this regard.

A Retrospective Survey Comparing Suture Techniques Regarding the Risk of Permanent Epicardial Pacemaker Implantation After Ventricular Septal Defect Closure

Objective

The aim of this study is to compare the continuous and combined suturing techniques in regards to the needing epicardial pacing at the time of weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (EP-CPB) and to evaluate permanent epicardial pacemaker (PEP) implantation in patients who had undergone surgical ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure.

Methods

This single-centre retrospective survey includes 365 patients who had consecutively undergone VSD closure between January 2006 and October 2015.

Results

The median age and weight of the patients were 15 months (range 27 days - 56.9 years) and 10 kg (range 3.5 - 100 kg), respectively. Continuous and combined suturing techniques were utilised in 302 (82.7%) and 63 (17.3%) patients, respectively. While 25 (6.8%) patients required EP-CPB, PEP was implanted in eight (2.2%) patients. Comparison of the continuous and combined suturing techniques regarding the need for EP-CPB (72% vs. 28%, P=0.231) and PEP implantation (87.5% vs. 12.5%, P=1.0) were not statistically significant. The rate of PEP implantation in patients with perimembraneous VSD without extension and perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension did not reveal significant difference between the suture techniques (P=1.0 and P=0.16, respectively). In both univariate and multivariate analyses, large VSD (P=0.001; OR 8.63; P=0.011) and perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension (P<0.001; OR 9.02; P=0.005) had a significant influence on PEP implantation.

Conclusion

Both suturing techniques were comparable regarding the need for EP-CPB or PEP implantation. Caution should be exercised when closing a large perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension.

Correction to: Blalock-Taussig Shunt Size: Should it be Based on Body Weight or Target Branch Pulmonary Artery Size?

The original version of the article unfortunately contained an alignment error in Table 1. The correct version of Table 1 is given below.

Blalock-Taussig Shunt Size: Should it be Based on Body Weight or Target Branch Pulmonary Artery Size?

The study aimed to revisit the in-hospital predictors of shunt thrombosis (ST) in the foreground of the pulmonary artery size in patients who received modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBTS) as the first-stage palliation. Data from 80 patients who received mBTS as their initial palliative procedure between February 2012 and January 2017 was retrospectively collected. The median age and weight of the patients at the time of their mBTS procedure was 4 days (IQR 2-22 days) and 3.2 kg (IQR 2.8-3.7 kg), respectively. Of the 80 patients in the study, 11 (13.8%) developed ST. The diameter and corresponding z scores of the pulmonary arteries were significantly lower in patients with ST. The median shunt size/shunted pulmonary artery size (S/PA) ratio was considerably higher in patients with ST. In logistic regression analysis, pulmonary artery hypoplasia (PAH) [odds ratio (OR) = 13.7 (0.06-0.21), p < 0.001], S/PA ratio ≥ 0.9 [OR = 8.1 (0.03-0.53), p = 0.03], prematurity [OR = 9.5 (0.05-0.33), p = 0.003], and shunt size/weight (S/W) ratio ≥ 1.3 [OR = 6.4 (0.04-0.67), p = 0.012] were found to have a significant impact on ST. The best combination of sensitivity and specificity of the S/W (0.73 and 0.75) and the S/PA ratio (0.73 and 0.80) were achieved at the cut-off value of 1.3 and 0.9, respectively. The Youden index of S/PA was 0.52. While the area under the curve (AUC) of the S/W ratio was 0.686 ± 0.12 (p = 0.049), the AUC of the S/PA ratio was 0.791 ± 0.08 (p = 0.002). In conclusion, instead of weight, considering the size of the target pulmonary artery and thereby, the S/PA ratio would be more instructive in determining shunt size. There were a high number of patients in our study who showed PAH having received a shunt size based on their body weight. By contrast, our results showed that the S/PA ratio of ≥ 0.9 would be a good predictor of in-hospital ST.

A rare complication of chronic granulomatous disease in a child: constrictive aspergillus pericarditis

A 3-year-old girl with the diagnosis of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) was hospitalized for bronchopneumonia and congestive heart failure. Her medical history included methylprednisolone medication for autoimmune gastric outlet obstruction. Computed tomography revealed pneumonic infiltrations and pericardial thickening. A pulsed-wave Doppler recording revealed E/A >1. During a pericardiectomy, multiple islands of thick, firm-walled, fibrinous exudate-containing, small abscess formations were observed. Histopathological evaluation of pericardial tissue revealed granulomatous inflammation. Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from the abscess. In conclusion, development of constrictive aspergillus pericarditis should be considered in patients with CGD because immediate initiation of antifungal management with aggressive surgical treatment is life-saving.

A circumflex coronary artery-to-right atrial fistula in a 10-month-old child

A coronary fistula (CF) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly in which there is a connection between the coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or a great vessel. In the paediatric population, a CF is usually asymptomatic. While the circumflex coronary artery (Cx) is the least common source of a CF, the right heart chambers are the most common location of drainage. Herein, we present a symptomatic 10-month-old boy with an atrial septal defect (ASD) in whom we incidentally detected a CF, which stemmed from the Cx and drained to the right atrium. Because the patient was symptomatic and his small size was not appropriate for percutaneous closure of the ASD, surgical closure of the ASD and CF was performed.

Single centre experience of combat-related vascular injury in victims of Syrian conflict: Retrospective evaluation of risk factors associated with amputation

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the risk factors associated with amputation in cases with combat-related vascular injury (CRVI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective study included 90 cases with CRVI treated between May 2011 and July 2013. The patients were divided into group I (n=69), in which the limb was salvaged and group II (n=21), in which the patients received amputation.

RESULTS

The overall and the secondary amputation rates were 23% and 18%, respectively. There were no amputations with the MESS of nine or less, increasing proportions of amputations at 10 and 11, with a level of 12 leading to 100% amputation rate. The mortality rate was 2%. Among the 52 (58%) cases with the mangled extremity severity score (MESS) ≥7, the limb salvage rate was 60%. The patients in group II were more likely to have a combined artery and vein injury (p=0.042). They were also more likely to be injured as a result of an explosion (p=0.004). Along with the MESS (p<0.001), the duration of ischemia (DoI) (p<0.001) were higher in group II. The rate of bony fracture (p<0.001) and wound infection (p=0.011) were higher in group II. For the overall amputation, the odds ratio of the bony fracture (OR: 61.39, p=0.011), nerve injury (OR: 136.23, p=0.004), DoI (OR: 2.03, p=0.003), vascular ligation (OR: 8.65, p=0.040) and explosive device injury (OR: 10.8, p=0.041) were significant. Although the DoI (p<0.001) and the MESS (p=0.004) were higher in whom a temporary vascular shunt (TVS) was applied, the utilisation of a TVS did not influence the amputation rate (p=1.0).

CONCLUSIONS

The DoI and the variables indicating the extent of tissue disruption were the major determinants of amputation. While statistically non-significant, the benefit of the application of a TVS is non-negligible. MESS is a valid scoring system but should not be the sole foundation for deciding on amputation. Extremities which were doomed to amputation with the MESS>7 seem to benefit from revascularisation with initiation of reperfusion at once. The validity of MESS merits further investigation with regard to the determination of a new cut-off value under ever developing medical management strategies.

A penetrating nail-prick injury of the lateral plantar artery leading to pseudo-aneurysm formation and rupture

Pseudo-aneurysm in the plantar region is so rare that there are only sporadic case reports in the literature. The aetiology is usually either iatrogenic or stepping on a piece of glass. In comparison to the medial plantar artery, the lateral plantar artery is the most common arterial structure injured in the plantar region due to its more superficial course and it being less protected by the surrounding structures. With variable presentation and different time intervals from injury to diagnosis, the mechanism and penetration depth of the injury is thought to have a major impact on the formation of a pseudo-aneurysm. The aims of this article were to present a case of a lateral plantar artery injury after stepping on a construction nail, leading to pseudo-aneurysm formation and rupture, and to review the literature with regard to the clinical characteristics of these rare and overlooked cases.