Cardiology in the young
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Cardiology in the young · Jun 2008
Multicenter StudyPaediatric cardiac assistance in developing and transitional countries: the impact of a fourteen year effort.
Paediatric cardiac services are poorly developed or totally absent in underdeveloped countries. Institutions, foundations and interested individuals in those nations in which sophisticated paediatric cardiac surgery is practised have the ability to alleviate this problem by sponsoring paediatric cardio-surgical missions to provide care, and train local caregivers in developing, transitional, and third world countries. The ultimate benefit of such a programme is to improve the surgical abilities of the host institution. The purpose of this report is to present the impact of our programme over a period of 14 years. ⋯ Paediatric cardiac service assistance can improve local services. A significant commitment is required by all parties involved.
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Cardiology in the young · Jun 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialDoes cardioplegia leave room for postconditioning in paediatric cardiac surgery?
Postconditioning by brief episodes of ischaemia performed just at the time of reperfusion have been shown to reduce the size of infarcts in animal models, and in the clinical setting of percutaneous cardiac intervention. The clinical applicability of postconditioning in cardiac surgery remains to be determined. We investigated the effect of postconditioning on myocardial protection in children undergoing cardiac surgery. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that postconditioning may protect the myocardium of children undergoing cold blood cardioplegic arrest. These data support the need for a larger clinical trial of postconditiong in children undergoing cardiac surgery.
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Cardiology in the young · Jun 2008
Off-pump connection of the hepatic to the azygos vein through a lateral thoracotomy for relief of arterio-venous fistulas after a Kawashima procedure.
To connect the hepatic veins to the azygos venous system through a lateral thoracotomy, and without the use of extracorporeal circulation, so as to relieve arteriovenous fistulas after a previous Kawashima operation. ⋯ The operative method presented is an elegant means of redirecting the hepatic venous blood to the pulmonary circulation without the disadvantages of extracorporeal circulation and resternotomy.