Effect of Intraoperative Dexamethasone on Major Complications and Mortality Among Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: The DECISION Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Corticosteroids are widely used in pediatric cardiac surgery to blunt systemic inflammatory response and to reduce complications; nevertheless, their clinical efficacy is uncertain. Objective: To determine whether intraoperative administration of dexamethasone is more effective than placebo for reducing major complications and mortality during pediatric cardiac surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Intraoperative Dexamethasone in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery was an investigator-initiated, double-blind, multicenter randomized trial that involved 4 centers in China, Brazil, and Russia. A total of 394 infants younger than 12 months, undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass were enrolled from December 2015 to October 2018, with follow-up completed in November 2018. Interventions: The dexamethasone group (n = 194) received 1 mg/kg of dexamethasone; the control group (n = 200) received an equivolume of 0.9% sodium chloride intravenously after anesthesia induction. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, acute kidney injury, prolonged mechanical ventilation, or neurological complications within 30 days after surgery. There were 17 secondary end points, including the individual components of the primary end point, and duration of mechanical ventilation, inotropic index, intensive care unit stay, readmission to intensive care unit, and length of hospitalization. Results: All of the 394 patients randomized (median age, 6 months; 47.2% boys) completed the trial. The primary end point occurred in 74 patients (38.1%) in the dexamethasone group vs 91 patients (45.5%) in the control group (absolute risk reduction, 7.4%; 95% CI, -0.8% to 15.3%; hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.10; P = .20). Of the 17 prespecified secondary end points, none showed a statistically significant difference between groups. Infections occurred in 4 patients (2.0%) in the dexamethasone group vs 3 patients (1.5%) in the control group. Conclusions and Relevance: Among infants younger than 12 months undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, intraoperative administration of dexamethasone, compared with placebo, did not significantly reduce major complications and mortality at 30 days. However, the study may have been underpowered to detect a clinically important difference. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02615262.

Aortic re-implantation in a case of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right pulmonary artery in a toddler.

This tutorial  demonstrates correction of the rarest congenital coronary anomaly, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right pulmonary artery (ALCAPA RPA). We present the features of surgical repair in the case of a toddler patient with an associated atrial septal defect.

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery: surgical re-implantation into the aorta.

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is rare (only 200 cases have been reported in total), potentially life-threatening and with an uncertain prognosis. Patient characteristics are only available in half the reported cases. Easy to miss, anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA) is usually diagnosed in association with concomitant cardiac anomalies. Techniques for its correction are rarely discussed, but the restoration of a two-coronary system is optimal. We report details of the surgical repair of ARCAPA in a 17-year-old man to highlight important anatomical features.

The Bex-Nikaidoh operation for dextro-transposition of the great arteries with a ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis using an 'oversized' conduit.

We report a case of a 4-month-old infant with dextro (d)-transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect (VSD) and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction previously palliated with a systemic-to-pulmonary shunt. He underwent repair by aortic root translocation with an arterial switch procedure and coronary artery reimplantation (modified Bex-Nikaidoh operation). This case demonstrates that aortic translocation results in a more normal anatomic repair compared with the Rastelli operation. As shown, it is always possible to place an oversized conduit (homograft) and there is no risk of sternal compression of the conduit. This is especially important for children under 1 year, when there are contraindications for the Rastelli operation. Placement of oversized pulmonary ventricle-pulmonary artery conduits is performed to decrease conduit failure in the future. The postoperative course was uneventful. At 6 months, he was asymptomatic with tomographic images and echocardiography showing no residual lesions.