Twelve Years of Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect Repair.

BACKGROUND: Surgical repair is the standard treatment for complete atrioventricular septal defect. At our institution, this repair is performed by single patch, modified single patch or two patch techniques, according to the surgeon preferences and the surgical anatomy of the defect. The goal of this study was to evaluate our results from the last twelve years. METHODS: From June 2006 to June 2018, 81 children with complete atrioventricular septal defect (without tetralogy of Fallot or unbalanced ventricles) were submitted to surgical repair at our institution. Data from all patients was retrospectively collected and evaluated. RESULTS: The average age was 6.9 ± 13.7 months and 84% had Down syndrome. Eighty percent were symptomatic and 6 patients were previously submitted to pulmonary artery banding. No more that mild left atrioventricular valve insufficiency was found in 84% and 89% of the patients, at discharge and follow-up, respectively. Small residual septal defects were present in 27% at discharge; during follow-up, 41% of these closed spontaneously. Pulmonary hypertension at discharge and follow-up appeared in 3.7% and 1.3%, respectively. Permanente pacemaker was implanted in 3 patients. Left ventricle outflow tract obstruction was found in 3 patients and 2 needed surgical correction. At follow-up (40 ± 38 months), 90% of the patients presented NYHA functional class I. No significant differences in the main repair outcomes were found between techniques, with the exception of small residual septal defects, although the groups were unmatched. CONCLUSIONS: Overall and regardless of the technique used for the repair of complete AVSD, good early and midterm outcomes were achieved.

Unusual cause of acute back pain mimicking aortic dissection: a case report.

We report the case of a 62-year-old woman who initially presented with symptoms suggesting acute type A aortic dissection. Imaging studies revealed hemorrhagic pericardial fluid without the evidence of dissection. Foreign body material was noted floating in the inferior vena cava (IVC) and also piercing the right ventricular wall. Upon surgical exploration, the extracted material could be identified to be acrylic bone cement (palacos). The patient had reported a history of kyphoplasty in 2008.