• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.545-547
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• 2014

A coronary artery fistula was surgically ligated in a 38-year-old woman via a left anterior mini-thoracotomy without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. In selected cases, this surgical approach can provide an excellent surgical exposure for coronary artery fistula ligation. It also offers an excellent cosmetic result and shorter hospital stay.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.394-397
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• 2014

Numerous technical modifications and various complications of the Senning procedure have been described in the literature. We describe the excellent clinical status and anatomic result of a 33-year-old patient who underwent a modified Senning operation using the left atrial appendage for reconstruction more than 30 years prior to presentation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.55-58
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• 2015

Although heart transplantation is a final therapeutic option in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP), the shortage of pediatric heart donors is a major obstacle. In adults with DCMP characterized by cardiac dyssynchrony, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is known to be an effective treatment option. However, there is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of CRT in infants with DCMP. Several studies have reported improvement in hemodynamics and cardiac performance following CRT in infants with DCMP. Here, we report CRT in an infant with DCMP during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with 5 months of follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2024

Background: This study investigated the surgical outcomes associated with coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) in children. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 23 pediatric patients who underwent surgical closure of CAFs between 1995 and 2021. At presentation, 7 patients (30.4%) exhibited symptoms. Associated cardiac anomalies were present in 8 patients. Fourteen fistulas originated from the right coronary artery and 9 from the left. The most common drainage site was the right ventricle, followed by the right atrium and the left ventricle. The median follow-up duration was 9.3 years (range, 0.1-25.6 years) Results: The median age and body weight at repair were 3.1 years (range, 0-13.4 years) and 14.4 kg (range, 3.1-42.2 kg), respectively. Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in 17 cases (73.9%), while cardioplegic arrest was employed in 14 (60.9%). Epicardial CAF ligation was utilized in 10 patients (43.5%), the transcoronary approach in 9 (39.1%), the endocardial approach in 2 (8.7%), and other methods in 2 patients (8.7%). The application of cardioplegic arrest during repair did not significantly impact the duration of postoperative intensive care unit stay or overall hospital stay. One in-hospital death and 1 late death were recorded. The overall survival rate was 95.7% at 10 years and 83.7% at 15 years. A residual fistula was detected in 1 patient. During the follow-up period, no surviving patient experienced cardiovascular symptoms or coronary events. Conclusion: Surgical repair of CAF can be performed safely with or without cardioplegic arrest, and it is associated with a favorable prognosis in children.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.394-402
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• 2023

Background: The optimal choice of valve substitute for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in pediatric patients remains a matter of debate. This study investigated the outcomes following AVR using mechanical prostheses in children. Methods: Forty-four patients younger than 15 years who underwent mechanical AVR from March 1990 through March 2023 were included. The outcomes of interest were death or transplantation, hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events, and reoperation after mechanical AVR. Adverse events included any death, transplant, aortic valve reoperation, and major thromboembolic or hemorrhagic event. Results: The median age and weight at AVR were 139 months and 32 kg, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 56 months. The most commonly used valve size was 21 mm (14 [31.8%]). There were 2 in-hospital deaths, 1 in-hospital transplant, and 1 late death. The overall survival rates at 1 and 10 years post-AVR were 92.9% and 90.0%, respectively. Aortic valve reoperation was required in 4 patients at a median of 70 months post-AVR. No major hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events occurred. The 5- and 10-year adverse event-free survival rates were 81.8% and 72.2%, respectively. In univariable analysis, younger age, longer cardiopulmonary bypass time, and smaller valve size were associated with adverse events. The cut-off values for age and prosthetic valve size to minimize the risk of adverse events were 71 months and 20 mm, respectively. Conclusion: Mechanical AVR could be performed safely in children. Younger age, longer cardiopulmonary bypass time and smaller valve size were associated with adverse events. Thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications might rarely occur.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.277-280
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• 2015

We report the case of a 37-year-old man who suffered from biventricular failure due to left isomerism, inferior vena cava interruption with azygos vein continuation, bilateral superior vena cava, double outlet of right ventricle, complete atrioventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, and isolated dextrocardia. Heart transplantation in patients with systemic venous anomalies often requires the correction and reconstruction of the upper & lower venous drainage. We present a case of heart transplantation in a patient with left isomerism, highlighting technical modifications to the procedure, including the unifocalization of the caval veins and reconstruction with patch augmentation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.162-170
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• 2023

Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) plays an indispensable role when resuscitation fails; however, extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in infants is different from that in adults. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of E-CPR in infants. Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted, analyzing 51 consecutive patients (age <1 year) who received E-CPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest between 2010 and 2021. Results: The median age and body weight was 51 days (interquartile range [IQR], 17-111 days) and 3.4 kg (IQR, 2.9-5.1 kg), respectively. The cause of arrest was cardiogenic in 45 patients (88.2%), and 48 patients (94.1%) had congenital cardiac anomalies. The median conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (C-CPR) time before the initiation of ECLS was 77 minutes (IQR, 61-103 minutes) and duration of ECLS was 7 days (IQR, 3-12 days). There were 36 in-hospital deaths (70.6%), and another patient survived after heart transplantation. In the multivariate analysis, single-ventricular physiology (odds ratio [OR], 5.05; p=0.048), open sternum status (OR, 8.69; p=0.013), and C-CPR time (OR, 1.47 per 10 minutes; p=0.021) were significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. In a receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cut-off of C-CPR time was 70.5 minutes. The subgroup with early E-CPR (C-CPR time <70.5 minutes) showed a tendency for lower in-hospital mortality tendency (54.5% vs. 82.8%, p=0.060), albeit not statistically significant. Conclusion: If resuscitation fails in an infant, E-CPR could be a life-saving option. It is crucial to improve C-CPR quality and shorten the time before ECLS initiation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2023

Background: Surgical closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD) is infrequently indicated during infancy. We evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent surgical ASD closure during infancy. Methods: A single-center retrospective review was performed for 39 patients (19 males) who underwent surgical ASD closure during infancy between 1993 and 2020. The median body weight percentile at the time of operation was 9.3. Results: During a median follow-up of 60.9 months, 4 late deaths occurred due to chronic respiratory failure. A preoperative history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was the only risk factor for late mortality identified in Cox regression (hazard ratio, 3.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75-163.04; p=0.015). The 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with preoperative history of BPD (97.0% vs. 50.0%, p<0.001) and preoperative ventilatory support (97.1% vs. 40.4%, p<0.001). There were significant postoperative increases in left ventricular end-diastolic (p=0.017), end-systolic (p=0.014), and stroke volume (p=0.013) indices. A generalized estimated equation model showed significantly better postoperative improvement in body weight percentiles in patients with lower weight percentiles at the time of operation (<10th percentile, p=0.01) and larger indexed ASD diameter (≥45 mm/m², p=0.025). Conclusion: Patients with ASD necessitating surgical closure during infancy are extremely small preoperatively and remain small even after surgical closure. However, postoperative somatic growth was more prominent in smaller patients with larger defects, which may be attributable to an increase in postoperative cardiac output due to changes in ventricular septal configuration. The benefits of ASD closure in patients with BPD are undetermined.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.770-773
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• 2009

Rhabdomyoma has been reported to be the most common type of cardiac tumors in fetuses and children, and multiple cardiac rhabdomyomas almost certainly signify the association with tuberous sclerosis. We report here on a case of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) that was associated with multiple rhabdomyomas and tuberous sclerosis. A two-year-old boy, who had undergone systemic-pulmonary shunt during the neonatal period, received total correction of his ToF after the complete regression of the cardiac tumor. The postoperative course was uneventful, and he has been follow-up for 2 months. The boy is currently in an excellent condition.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 2005

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac surgery induces the production and release of numerous chemotactic substances and cytokines, ensuing systemic inflammatory response that causes postoperative major organ dysfunctions. We performed a randomized, prospective study to investigate clinical effects of preoperative treated-methylprednisolone for preventing inflammation in pediatric cardiac surgery with CPB. Thirty pediatric patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were randomized to either control(n=15) or steroid group (n=15, 10 mg/kg of methylprednisolone). Arterial blood samples were taken before and after the operations for measuring total leukocyte (T-WBC) and differential counts, platelet counts, interleukin-6 (IL-6), myeloperoxidase (MPO), neuron specific enolase (NSE), troponin-I (TNI), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine levels. Postoperative parameters such as pulmonary index (PI, $PaO_2/FiO_2$), 24 hrs and total bleeding volumes, mechanical ventilating (MVP) and intensive care unit (ICU)-staying periods, and hospitalization were assessed. T-WBC, neutrophil fraction, IL-6, MPO, NSE, TNI, AST and creatinine levels, bleeding volumes, PI, and MVP at the postoperative periods were lower or shorter in steroid group than in control group (P<0.05). These findings indicated that preoperative administration of methylprednisolone attenuated CPB-induced inflammatory reactions, contributing to postoperative recovery of patients underwent cardiac surgery.