Pulmonary venous hypertension may allow delayed palliation of single ventricle physiology with pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary vascular disease develops early in untreated single ventricle patients with increased pulmonary flow. Pulmonary artery (PA) banding is done at a young age in these patients in order to protect the lung vasculature and maintain low pulmonary artery pressures (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). This also enables future completion of the single ventricle palliation. Pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH) secondary to left sided obstruction if present in addition in this setting contributes to the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) but involves an element of reversibility of the PAH if the obstruction is relieved. We present two cases of single ventricle both of who re-presented late with PAH and PVH (secondary to mitral valve obstruction) and underwent delayed PA banding at 9.5 and 4.5 years of age respectively. Both patients however had different outcomes. The patient undergoing PA banding at 9.5 years successfully underwent a cavo-pulmonary shunt at the age of 12 years. The patient with PA banding at 4.5 years however, has residual PAH that presently precludes a cavo-pulmonary shunt

Unrecognized double aortic arch in a preterm infant: Diagnostic challenges and perioperative management

Vascular rings are relatively rare, and are frequently overlooked as a potential cause of neonatal respiratory distress in non specialized centres. This might lead to delay in diagnosis during which the child is subjected to repeated respiratory insults. Procrastination in prompt diagnosis and management can lead to significant comorbidities or even death. We highlight the case report of a preterm infant with an unrecognized double aortic arch who presented with severe respiratory morbidity and the subsequent management

An unusual example of isolated double-orifice tricuspid valve

Double-orifice tricuspid valve (DOTV) is a very rare congenital cardiac anomaly. We report an unusual example of DOTV where one orifice was committed to the left ventricle. This was identified preoperatively and managed surgically

Dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit in a developing country: Does it improve the outcome?

Introduction and Aim : Focussed cardiac intensive care is known to produce better outcomes. We have evaluated the benefits of a dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) in the early postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease. Methods : Prospectively collected data of 634 consecutive patients who underwent congenital heart surgery from September 2008 to September 2009 were analyzed. Midway through this period a dedicated PCICU was started. The patients who were treated in this new PCICU formed the study group (Group B, n = 318). The patients who were treated in a common postoperative cardiac surgery ICU formed the control group (Group A, n = 316). Early postoperative outcomes between the two groups were compared. Results : The two groups were comparable with respect to demographic data and intraoperative variables. The duration of mechanical ventilation in the dedicated pediatric cardiac ICU group (32.22 ± 52.02 hours) was lower when compared with the combined adult and pediatric surgery ICU group (42.92 ± 74.24 hours, P= 0.04). There was a shorter duration of ICU stay in the dedicated pediatric cardiac ICU group (2.69 ± 2.9 days vs. 3.43 ± 3.80 days, P = 0.001). The study group also showed a shorter duration of inotropic support and duration of invasive lines. The incidence of blood stream infections was also lower in the dedicated pediatric ICU group (5.03 vs. 9.18%, P = 0.04). A subgroup analysis of neonates and infants <1 year showed that the advantages of a dedicated pediatric intensive care unit were more pronounced in this group of patients. Conclusions : Establishment of a dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit has shown better outcomes in terms of earlier extubation, de-intensification, and discharge from the ICU. Blood stream infections were also reduced

Stage one Norwood procedure in an emerging economy:Initial experience in a single center

Objective: The evolution of surgical skills and advances in pediatric cardiac intensive care has resulted in Norwood procedure being increasingly performed in emerging economies. We reviewed the feasibility and logistics of performing stage one Norwood operation in a limited-resource environment based on a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent this procedure in our institution. Methods : Retrospective review of medical records of seven neonates who underwent Norwood procedure at our institute from October 2010 to August 2012. Results: The median age at surgery was 9 days (range 5-16 days). All cases were done under deep hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion. The median cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time was 240 min (range 193-439 min) and aortic cross-clamp time was 130 min (range 99-159 min). A modified Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt was used to provide pulmonary blood flow in all cases. There were two deaths, one in the early postoperative period. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 117 h (range 71-243 h) and the median intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 12 days (range 5-16 days). Median hospital stay was 30.5 days (range 10-36 days). Blood stream sepsis was reported in four patients. Two patients had preoperative sepsis. One patient required laparotomy for intestinal obstruction. Conclusions:Stage one Norwood is feasible in a limited-resource environment if supported by a dedicated postoperative intensive care and protocolized nursing management. Preoperative optimization and prevention of infections are major challenges in addition to preventing early circulatory collapse