A document by Arif Yasin Çakmak. Click on the document to view its contents.

We hereby present a case report of an extremely preterm newborn with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), spending more than 4 months of his early life in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). The uniqueness of this case report is the difference in the algorithm used for the treatment of BPD with regards to the family’s preference and its successful outcome.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to describe our short-term outcomes using BioIntegral pulmonic conduit. METHODS Between August 2018 and September 2019, the BioIntegral pulmonic valved conduit was used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in 48 patients. The data was retrospectively retrieved from the patient charts. RESULTS The median age at the operation was 36 months (IQR:18-62 months). The diagnoses were PA-VSD in 28 patients, absent pulmonary valve in four patients, truncus arteriosus in six patients, TGA-VSD-PS in five patients, conduit stenosis in three patients and LVOT obstruction requiring Ross operation in two patients. In the postoperative follow-up 15 patients out of 48 had high fever. Out of these, 12 patients had concomitantly elevated CRP levels. There were no patients with blood culture positivity. The median postoperative length of hospital stay was 14 days (IQR:8-21 days). The overall mortality was recorded in 2 patients (4 %), one died due to right ventricular failure and multiple organ failure and one died due to pulmonary embolism. The two patients who died were not among the 15 patients with fever. CONCLUSIONS There was high incidence of fever and adverse outcomes in the short-term postoperative follow-up of the patients in whom the BioIntegral pulmonic valved conduit was implanted. Caution is advisable in using these conduits until there is convincing evidence about the sterilisation and storage standards of these grafts.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to describe the short-term and mid-term outcomes of the preterm infants who underwent patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation in by anterior mini-thoracotomy. METHODS Data of 103 preterm infants who underwent PDA ligation by anterior mini-thoracotomy between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. PDA was clipped through an anterior mini-thoracotomy at the 2nd intercostal space. Outcomes were defined according to complications, morbidity and mortality rates within the postoperative 30 days and one year. RESULTS The median weight of the patients during the operation was 900 (IQR800–1125 g) grams and the lowest body weight was 460 grams. The median age at the operation was 21 (IQR14,5–29 days) days. In three patients (3%) there was intraoperative bleeding from the PDA that required transition to median sternotomy. In one patient (1%) residual PDA was seen and this patient was reoperated on the 4th postoperative day. One patient (1%) underwent surgical revision for chylothorax and chylomediastinum causing late cardiac tamponade on the 26th postoperative day. Twelve patients (12%) died in the first 30 days postoperatively. Six patients (6%) died between the thirtieth day and a year. CONCLUSIONS After a decade and over a hundred patients with PDA ligation through anterior mini-thoracotomy in preterm infants is still the main procedure of choice in this patient group in our clinic. Our outcomes demonstrate the safety of this approach and we believe that it can be reproducible.

ABSTRACT Introduction and Objective: There are various management options for newborns with single ventricle physiology, ventriculoarterial discordance and subaortic stenosis (SOS), classically involving the early pulmonary banding and aortic arch repair, the restricted bulboventriculer foramen(BVF) enlargement or the Norwood and the Damus Kaye Stansel (DKS) procedures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the midterm results of our clinical experience with palliative arterial switch operation (pASO) for this subset of patients. Method: We hereby retrospectively evaluate the charts of patients going through pASO, as initial palliation through Fontan pathway, starting from 2014 till today. Results: 10 patients underwent an initial palliative arterial switch procedure. 8 of 10 patients survived the operation and discharged. 7 of 10 patients completed stage II and 1 patient reached the Fontan completion stage and the other six of ten (6/10) patients are doing well and waiting for the next stage of palliation. There are two mortalities in the series (2/10) and one patient lost to follow-up (1/10). Conclusions: The pASO can be considered as an alternative palliation option for patients with single ventricle physiology, transposition of the great arteries and systemic outflow obstruction. It not only preserves systolic and diastolic ventricular function, but also provides a superior anatomic arrangement for following stages. Keywords: Congenital Heart Disease, Single Ventricle, Arterial Switch Operation