Using cryopreserved allogeneic pericardium to repair congenital heart defects in children.

Patches prepared from autologous, allogeneic, or xenogeneic tissues are widely used in the repair of congenital heart defects in children. Since 2002, cryopreserved allogeneic pericardial patches have been prepared in our institution as an alternative to commercially available patches. This study retrospectively reviewed donor and patient data concerning cryopreservation time and the clinical use of the pericardium in 382 children who were operated on at a single center between 2004 and 2021. There were 177 donors: 98 males and 79 females. The median donor age was 13 years (range: 1 month to 53 years) and the median cryopreservation time was 72 days (range: 3-685). There were 382 pediatric patients: 224 males and 158 females. The median patient age was 1 month (range: 3 days to 17.8 years). The patches were used for primary surgeries in 228 patients and for reoperations in 154. The patches were implanted into the right heart or venous circulation in 209 patients, the left heart or arterial circulation in 246 patients, and both sides of the circulatory system in 73. Extracardiac patch implantation was performed in 339 patients, intracardiac in 79 patients, and both intracardiac and extracardiac in 36 patients. Our study presents a single-center experience in the use of cryopreserved allogeneic pericardium. The pericardium can be used on the systemic and pulmonary sides of the circulatory system, in either extracardiac or intracardiac positions. However, there is no uniform strategy for selecting the "patch of choice" for correcting congenital heart defects in children, especially since there are few studies comparing several types of patches.

TGA + IVS + LVOTO: patterns of practice and outcomes.

PURPOSE: Transposition of great arteries with intact ventricular septum and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (TGA + IVS + LVOTO) is uncommon. We reviewed operations performed in patients with TGA + IVS + LVOTO in the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association Congenital Database (ECHSA-CD). METHODS: All 109 patients with a diagnosis of TGA + IVS + LVOTO in ECHSA-CD who underwent cardiac surgery during a 21-year period (01/2000-02/2021, inclusive) were included. Preoperative variables, operative data, and postoperative outcomes were collected. RESULTS: These 109 patients underwent 176 operations, including 37 (21.0%) arterial switch operations (ASO), 26 (14.2%) modified Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunts (MBTTS), 11 (6.2%) Rastelli operations, and 13 (7.3%) other palliative operations (8 superior cavopulmonary anastomosis[es], 4 Fontan, and 1 other palliative procedure). Of 37 patients undergoing ASO, 22 had a concomitant procedure.There were 68 (38.6%) reoperations, including 11 pacemaker procedures and 8 conduit operations. After a systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt, reoperations included shunt reoperation (n = 4), Rastelli (n = 4), and superior cavopulmonary anastomosis (n = 3).Overall Operative Mortality was 8.2% (9 deaths), including three following ASO, two following "Nikaidoh, Kawashima, or LV-PA conduit" procedures, and two following Rastelli. Postoperative complications occurred after 36 operations (20.4%). The most common complications were delayed sternal closure (n = 11), postoperative respiratory insufficiency requiring mechanical ventilation >7 days (n = 9), and renal failure requiring temporary dialysis (n = 8). CONCLUSION: TGA + IVS + LVOTO is rare (109 patients in ECHSA-CD over 21 years). ASO, MBTTS, and Rastelli are the most common operations performed for TGA + IVS + LVOTO. Larger international studies with long-term follow-up are needed to better define the anatomy of the LVOTO and to determine the optimal surgical strategy.

Combining Congenital Heart Surgical and Interventional Cardiology Outcome Data in a Single Database: The Development of a Patient-Centered Collaboration of the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA) and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC).

The European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA) Congenital Database (CD) is the second largest clinical pediatric and congenital cardiac surgical database in the world and the largest in Europe, where various smaller national or regional databases exist. Despite the dramatic increase in interventional cardiology procedures over recent years, only scattered national or regional databases of such procedures exist in Europe. Most importantly, no congenital cardiac database exists in the world that seamlessly combines both surgical and interventional cardiology data on an international level; therefore, the outcomes of surgical and interventional procedures performed on the same or similar patients cannot easily be tracked, assessed, and analyzed. In order to fill this important gap in our capability to gather and analyze information on our common patients, ECHSA and The Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) have embarked on a collaborative effort to expand the ECHSA-CD with a new module designed to capture data about interventional cardiology procedures. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the concept, the structure, and the function of the new AEPC Interventional Cardiology Part of the ECHSA-CD, as well as the potentially valuable synergies provided by the shared interventional and surgical analyses of outcomes of patients. The new AEPC Interventional Cardiology Part of the ECHSA-CD will allow centers to have access to robust surgical and transcatheter outcome data from their own center, as well as robust national and international aggregate outcome data for benchmarking. Each contributing center or department will have access to their own data, as well as aggregate data from the AEPC Interventional Cardiology Part of the ECHSA-CD. The new AEPC Interventional Cardiology Part of the ECHSA-CD will allow cardiology centers to have access to aggregate cardiology data, just as surgical centers already have access to aggregate surgical data. Comparison of surgical and catheter interventional outcomes could potentially strengthen decision processes. A study of the wealth of information collected in the database could potentially also contribute toward improved early and late survival, as well as enhanced quality of life of patients with pediatric and/or congenital heart disease treated with surgery and interventional cardiac catheterization across Europe and the world.

Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery repair: Outcomes from the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association Database.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine the surgical outcomes of patients with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) enrolled in the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA) database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1999 to 2019, 907 patients with ALCAPA underwent surgical repair and were included in the current study. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included frequency and results of concomitant mitral valve surgery and postoperative mechanical circulatory support (MCS). RESULTS: The overall in-hospital mortality was 6% (54/907) and was significantly higher in neonates (p = .01), patients with lower body surface area (BSA) (p = .01), and those requiring postoperative MCS (p = .001). Associated mitral valve surgery was performed in 144 patients (15.9%) and was associated with longer cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and aortic cross-clamp times (AOX) (p ≤ .0001) but was not significantly related to an increase in in-hospital mortality. Postoperative MCS was required in 66 patients (7.3%). These patients were younger (p ≤ .001), had a lower BSA (p ≤ .001), and required a longer CPB (p ≤ .001) and AOX time (p ≤ .001). CONCLUSIONS: ALCAPA repair can be achieved successfully, and with low surgical risk. Concomitant mitral valve procedures can be performed without increasing operative mortality. The use of MCS remains a valuable option, especially in younger patients.

Nomenclature for Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Care: Unification of Clinical and Administrative Nomenclature - The 2021 International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC) and the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

Substantial progress has been made in the standardization of nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care. In 1936, Maude Abbott published her Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease, which was the first formal attempt to classify congenital heart disease. The International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC) is now utilized worldwide and has most recently become the paediatric and congenital cardiac component of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The most recent publication of the IPCCC was in 2017. This manuscript provides an updated 2021 version of the IPCCC.The International Society for Nomenclature of Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease (ISNPCHD), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), developed the paediatric and congenital cardiac nomenclature that is now within the eleventh version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This unification of IPCCC and ICD-11 is the IPCCC ICD-11 Nomenclature and is the first time that the clinical nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care and the administrative nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care are harmonized. The resultant congenital cardiac component of ICD-11 was increased from 29 congenital cardiac codes in ICD-9 and 73 congenital cardiac codes in ICD-10 to 318 codes submitted by ISNPCHD through 2018 for incorporation into ICD-11. After these 318 terms were incorporated into ICD-11 in 2018, the WHO ICD-11 team added an additional 49 terms, some of which are acceptable legacy terms from ICD-10, while others provide greater granularity than the ISNPCHD thought was originally acceptable. Thus, the total number of paediatric and congenital cardiac terms in ICD-11 is 367. In this manuscript, we describe and review the terminology, hierarchy, and definitions of the IPCCC ICD-11 Nomenclature. This article, therefore, presents a global system of nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care that unifies clinical and administrative nomenclature.The members of ISNPCHD realize that the nomenclature published in this manuscript will continue to evolve. The version of the IPCCC that was published in 2017 has evolved and changed, and it is now replaced by this 2021 version. In the future, ISNPCHD will again publish updated versions of IPCCC, as IPCCC continues to evolve.

Outcome Prediction After Coronary Surgery and Redo Surgery for Bleeding (From the KROK Registry).

OBJECTIVES: To assess the reliability of EuroSCORE II in an entire population after isolated coronary artery surgery and separately among patients who underwent redo surgery due to bleeding, and to create a model predicting hospital death among patients who underwent redo surgery owing to bleeding. DESIGN: Retrospective study based on data from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgical Procedures. SETTING: Multi-institutional study. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 41,353 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery surgery in Poland between January 2012 and December 2014. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: EuroSCORE II reliability was estimated using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), the observed-to-expected surgical mortality ratio (O/E), and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Parameters of the function correcting the original EuroSCORE II were determined using the least squares method. The original score was adjusted using a created formula. Among the 41,353 patients, 1,406 (3.4%) underwent reexploration. Even though EuroSCORE II was reliable in predicting hospital mortality in the entire population (AUC 0.76, O/E ratio 1.08), it greatly underestimated mortality for patients who required reexploration (AUC 0.74, O/E ratio 4.33). In this subpopulation, the worst performance of the EuroSCORE II was noted among patients with the lowest predicted mortality (0.50%-0.82%) Accurate calibration was obtained by adding a coefficient and creating a nomogram. CONCLUSIONS: EuroSCORE II was reliable in a Polish population undergoing isolated coronary surgery. After redo surgery for bleeding, the observed mortality was much higher than in the overall coronary population, but the rate was made more accurate by adding a coefficient to the initially calculated EuroSCORE II.

Edwards Inspiris Resilia® valve for mitral replacement in an infant after mechanical valve failure.

We present the surgical implantation of the Edwards Inspiris Resilia® aortic valve in mitral position for mechanical mitral valve failure in a severely ill infant after valve replacement because of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. The biological valve was chosen because the child could not receive oral anticoagulation and was for several months on heparin infusion. The procedure was safely performed with good haemodynamic result.

Nomenclature for congenital and paediatric cardiac disease: the International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC) and the Eleventh Iteration of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

An internationally approved and globally used classification scheme for the diagnosis of CHD has long been sought. The International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC), which was produced and has been maintained by the International Society for Nomenclature of Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease (the International Nomenclature Society), is used widely, but has spawned many "short list" versions that differ in content depending on the user. Thus, efforts to have a uniform identification of patients with CHD using a single up-to-date and coordinated nomenclature system continue to be thwarted, even if a common nomenclature has been used as a basis for composing various "short lists". In an attempt to solve this problem, the International Nomenclature Society has linked its efforts with those of the World Health Organization to obtain a globally accepted nomenclature tree for CHD within the 11th iteration of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The International Nomenclature Society has submitted a hierarchical nomenclature tree for CHD to the World Health Organization that is expected to serve increasingly as the "short list" for all communities interested in coding for congenital cardiology. This article reviews the history of the International Classification of Diseases and of the IPCCC, and outlines the process used in developing the ICD-11 congenital cardiac disease diagnostic list and the definitions for each term on the list. An overview of the content of the congenital heart anomaly section of the Foundation Component of ICD-11, published herein in its entirety, is also included. Future plans for the International Nomenclature Society include linking again with the World Health Organization to tackle procedural nomenclature as it relates to cardiac malformations. By doing so, the Society will continue its role in standardising nomenclature for CHD across the globe, thereby promoting research and better outcomes for fetuses, children, and adults with congenital heart anomalies.

Higher programmatic volume in paediatric heart surgery is associated with better early outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Previous analyses have suggested an association between centre volume and in-hospital mortality, post-operative complications, and mortality in those patients who suffer from a complication. We sought to determine the nature of this association using a multicentre cohort. METHODS: All the patients, aged 18 years or younger, undergoing heart surgery at centres participating in the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Database (2003-2013) were included. Programmes were grouped as follows: small 350. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the differences between groups with the adjusted in-hospital mortality, onset of any and/or major complication, and in-hospital mortality in those patients with any and/or major complication. The outcomes were adjusted for patient specific risk factors and surgical risk factors. RESULTS: The data set consisted of 119,345 procedures performed in 99 centres. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 4.63%; complications occurred in 23.4% of the patients. In-hospital mortality in patients with complications was 13.82%. Multivariable logistic regression showed that the risk of in-hospital death was higher in low- and medium-volume centres (p<0.001). The rate of the occurrence of any post-operative complication in small, medium, and large programmes was lower compared with very large centres (p<0.001). Low- and medium-volume centres were associated with significantly higher mortality in patients with any complication (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis showed that the risk of in-hospital mortality was lower in higher-volume centres. Although the risk of complications is higher in high-volume centres, the mortality associated with complications that occurred in these centres was lower.

Outcomes of Neonatal Cardiac Surgery: a European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association Study.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated outcomes of neonatal cardiac surgery at hospitals affiliated with the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA). METHODS: All patients ≤30 days of life undergoing a cardiac surgical procedure during a 10 year period between January 2013 and December 2022 were selected from the ECHSA Congenital Database. Reoperations during the same hospitalization, percutaneous procedures, and noncardiac surgical procedures were excluded. A total of 12 benchmark operations were identified. Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and in-hospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent factors associated with higher mortality. A comparison of mortality between the first 5 years and second 5 years was also performed. RESULTS: The overall number of neonatal operations from 2013-2022 was 30,931, and 22,763 patients met the inclusion criteria of the study. The four most common procedures were: arterial switch operation (3,520/22,763=15.5%), aortic coarctation repair (3,204/22,763=14.1%), shunt procedure (2,351/22,763=10.3%), and Norwood Operation (2,115/22,763=9.23%). 30-day mortality rate was: overall population (1,342/22,763=5.9%), arterial switch (110/3,520=3.13%), Norwood Operation (339/2,115=16.0%), and hybrid operation (94/609=15.4%). In-hospital mortality rate was: overall population (2,074/22,763=9.1%), arterial switch (145/3,520=4.12%), Norwood Operation (523/2,115=24.7%), and hybrid operation (186/609=30.5%). Multivariable analysis revealed that major factors impacting mortality were high risk procedures (adjusted odds ratio=2.74 [95% confidence interval=2.33-3.23]; p<0.001), and the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (11.8 [9.9-14]; p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal cardiac surgery continues to pose a significant challenge, with notable mortality, particularly for neonates with functionally univentricular physiology. These data can serve as important benchmarks across Europe and offer insights regarding opportunities for improvement.

Surgical ablation, left atrial appendage occlusion or both? Nationwide registry analysis of cardiac surgery patients with underlying atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital outcomes and long-term survival of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with preoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared different strategies, including no-AF treatment, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) alone, concomitant surgical ablation (SA) alone or both. METHODS: A retrospective analysis using the KROK registry included all patients with preoperative diagnosis of AF who underwent cardiac surgery in Poland between between January 2012 and December 2022. Risk adjustment was performed using regression analysis with inverse probability weighting of propensity scores. We assessed 6-year survival with Cox proportional hazards models. Sensitivity analysis was performed based on index cardiac procedure. RESULTS: Initially, 42 510 patients with preoperative AF were identified, and, after exclusion, 33 949 included in the final analysis. A total of 1107 (3.26%) received both SA and LAAO, 1484 (4.37%) received LAAO alone, 3921 (11.55%) SA alone and the remaining 27 437 (80.82%) had no AF-directed treatment. As compared to no treatment, all strategies were associated with survival benefit over 6-year follow-up. A gradient of treatment was observed with the highest benefit associated with SA + LAAO followed by SA alone and LAAO alone (log-rank P < 0.001). Mortality benefits were reflected when stratified by surgery type with the exception of aortic valve surgery where LAAO alone fare worse than no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with preoperative AF undergoing cardiac surgery, surgical management of AF, particularly SA + LAAO, was associated with lower 6-year mortality. These findings support the benefits of incorporating SA and LAAO in the management of AF during cardiac surgery.

Gender Differences in Survival after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting-13-Year Results from KROK Registry.

The influence of gender on both early and long-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not clearly defined. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of gender on early and long-term mortality after CABG using data from the KROK Registry. Methods: All 133,973 adult patients who underwent CABG in Poland between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019 were included in the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgical Procedures (KROK Registry). The study enrolled 90,541 patients: 68,401 men (75.55%) and 22,140 women (24.45%) who met the inclusion criteria. Then, 30-day mortality, 1-year mortality, and long-term mortality rates were compared. Results: Advanced age, higher Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, body mass index BMI > 35 kg/m2, and renal failure, before the propensity matching, were more frequently observed in women. Women more frequently underwent urgent surgery, including single and double graft surgery, and off-pump CABG (OPCAB) (p < 0.001). In propensity-matched groups, early mortality (30 days) was significantly higher in women (3.4% versus 2.8%, p < 0.001). The annual mortality remained higher in this group (6.6% versus 6.0%, p = 0.025). However, long-term mortality differed significantly between the groups and was higher in the male group (33.0% men versus 28.8% women, p < 0.001). Conclusions: There are no apparent differences in long-term mortality between the two sexes in the entire population. In propensity-matched patients, early mortality was lower for men, but the long-term survival was found to be better in women.

Single versus multiple arterial coronary artery bypass grafting in men and women: results from Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this multicenter study aimed to investigate the impact of sex on long-term survival among patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using multiple arterial grafting (MAG) or a single artery with saphenous vein grafts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures database. This study included 81 136 patients who underwent CABG for multivessel disease between January 2012 and December 2020 (22.9 were women and 77.1% were men). MAG was performed in 8.3 and 11.7% of female and male patients, respectively. A 1:1 propensity score (PS)-matching was performed. Long-term mortality was compared between matched groups of men and women. Subgroup analyses of patients aged <70 and ≥70 years, with an ejection fraction (EF) >40% and ≤40%, and with and without diabetes, obesity, peripheral artery disease (PAD), or chronic lung disease (CLD) were performed separately in women and men. RESULTS: MAG was associated with lower long-term mortality than saphenous vein grafts in 1528 PS-matched female pairs [hazard ratio (HR): 0.74; 95% CI: 0.59-0.92; P =0.007) and 7283 PS-matched male pairs (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72-0.88; P <0.001). Subgroup analyses confirmed the results among female patients aged <70 years, with diabetes and EF >40%, and without PAD or CLD, and of male patients aged <70 and ≥70 years; with EF >40%; with or without diabetes, obesity, or PAD; and without CLD. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing CABG, MAG was associated with significantly improved survival in both sexes. The long-term benefits of MAG observed across subgroups of men and women support the consideration of a multiarterial revascularization strategy for a broader spectrum of patients.

Surgery for primary cardiac tumors in children: early and late results in a multicenter European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate indications and results of surgery for primary cardiac tumors in children. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients aged ≤18 years undergoing surgery for cardiac tumor between 1990 and 2005 from 16 centers were included retrospectively (M/F=41/48; median age 4.3 months, range 1 day to 18 years). Sixty-three patients (68.5%) presented with symptoms. Surgery consisted of complete resection in 62 (69.7%) patients, partial resection in 21 (23.6%), and cardiac transplant in 4 (4.5%). Most frequent histotypes (93.2%) were benign (rhabdomyoma, myxoma, teratoma, fibroma, and hemangioma). Postoperative complications occurred in 29.9%. Early and late mortality were 4.5% each (mean follow-up, 6.3±4.4 years); major adverse events occurred in 28.2% of the patients; 90.7% of patients are in New York Heart Association class I. There were no statistically significant differences in survival, postoperative complications, or adverse events after complete and partial resection in benign tumors other than myxomas. Cardiac transplant was associated significantly with higher mortality rate (P=0.006). Overall mortality was associated to malignancy (P=0.0008), and adverse events during follow-up (P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for primary cardiac tumors in children has good early and long-term outcomes, with low recurrence rate. Rhabdomyomas are the most frequent surgical histotypes. Malignant tumors negatively affect early and late survival. Heart transplant is indicated when conservative surgery is not feasible. Lack of recurrence after partial resection of benign cardiac tumors indicates that a less risky tumor debulking is effective for a subset of histotypes such as rhabdomyomas and fibromas.

Hybrid approach for closure of muscular ventricular septal defects.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of ventricular septal defects in early infancy led to development of new mini-invasive techniques based on collaboration of cardiac surgeons with interventional cardiologists, called hybrid procedures. Hybrid therapies aim to combine the advantages of surgical and interventional techniques in an effort to reduce the invasiveness. The aim of this study was to present our approach with mVSD patients and initial results in the development of a mini-invasive hybrid procedure in the Gdansk Hybrid Heartlink Programme (GHHP) at the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Pomeranian Centre of Traumatology in Gdansk, Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The group of 11 children with mVSDs was enrolled in GHHP and 6 were finally qualified to hybrid trans-ventricular mVSD device closure. Mean age at time of hybrid procedure was 8.22 months (range: from 2.7 to 17.8 months, SD=5.1) and mean body weight was 6.3 kg (range: from 3.4 to 7.5 kg, SD=1.5). RESULTS: The implants of choice were Amplatzer VSD Occluder and Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (AGA Med. Corp, USA). The position of the implants was checked carefully before releasing the device with both transesophageal echocardiography and epicardial echocardiography. All patients survived and their general condition improved. No complications occurred. The closure of mVSD was complete in all children. CONCLUSIONS: Hybrid procedures of periventricular muscular VSD closure appear feasible and effective for patients with septal defects with morphology unsuitable for classic surgical or interventional procedures. The modern strategy of joint cardiac surgical and interventional techniques provides the benefits of close cooperation between cardiac surgeon and interventional cardiologist for selected patients in difficult clinical settings.

Outcomes of Transannular Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot With a Contegra® Monocuspid Patch.

BACKGROUND: Surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) depends on the anatomical variations of the heart defect. A group of patients with a hypoplastic pulmonary valve annulus required a transannular patch. This study aimed to evaluate the early and late outcomes of ToF repair with a transannular Contegra® monocuspid patch in a single center. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted. This study included 224 children with a median age of 13 months who underwent ToF repair with a Contegra® transannular patch in over 20 years of observation. The primary outcomes were hospital mortality and need for early reoperations. The secondary outcomes were late death and event-free survival. RESULTS: The hospital mortality in our group was 3.1%, whereas two patients required early reoperation. Three patients were excluded from the study because follow-up data were not available. In the remaining group of patients (212 patients), the median follow-up was 116 (range, 1-206) months. One patient died because of sudden cardiac arrest at home six months after surgery. Event-free survival was observed in 181 patients (85.4%), whereas the remaining 30 patients (14.1%) required graft replacement. The median time to reoperation was 99 (range, 4-183) months. CONCLUSIONS: Although surgical treatment of ToF has been performed for more than 60 years worldwide, the optimal approach in children with a hypoplastic pulmonary valve annulus remains debatable. Among options, the Contegra® monocuspid patch can be effectively used in transannular repair of ToF with good long-term results.

Congenital Heart Surgery Machine Learning-Derived In-Depth Benchmarking Tool.

BACKGROUND: We previously showed that machine learning-based methodologies of optimal classification trees (OCTs) can accurately predict risk after congenital heart surgery and assess case-mix-adjusted performance after benchmark procedures. We extend this methodology to provide interpretable, easily accessible, and actionable hospital performance analysis across all procedures. METHODS: The European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association Congenital Cardiac Database data subset of 172,888 congenital cardiac surgical procedures performed in European centers between 1989 and 2022 was analyzed. OCT models (decision trees) were built predicting hospital mortality (area under the curve [AUC], 0.866), prolonged postoperative mechanical ventilatory support time (AUC, 0.851), or hospital length of stay (AUC, 0.818), thereby establishing case-adjusted benchmarking standards reflecting the overall performance of all participating hospitals, designated as the "virtual hospital." OCT analysis of virtual hospital aggregate data yielded predicted expected outcomes (both aggregate and for risk-matched patient cohorts) for the individual hospital's own specific case-mix, readily available on-line. RESULTS: Raw average rates were hospital mortality, 4.9%; mechanical ventilatory support time, 14.5%; and length of stay, 15.0%. Of 146 participating centers, compared with each hospital's overall case-adjusted predicted hospital mortality benchmark, 20.5% statistically (<90% CI) overperformed and 20.5% underperformed. An interactive tool based on the OCT analysis automatically reveals 14 hospital-specific patient cohorts, simultaneously assessing overperformance or underperformance, and enabling further analysis of cohort strata in any chosen time frame. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning-based OCT benchmarking analysis provides automatic assessment of hospital-specific case-adjusted performance after congenital heart surgery, not only overall but importantly, also by similar risk patient cohorts. This is a tool for hospital self-assessment, particularly facilitated by the user-accessible online-platform.

Validation of EuroSCORE II in atrial fibrillation heart surgery patients from the KROK Registry.

The study aimed to validate the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score (EuroSCORE II) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). All data were retrieved from the National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures (KROK). EuroSCORE II calibration and discrimination performance was evaluated. The final cohort consisted of 44,172 patients (median age 67, 30.8% female, 13.4% with AF). The in-hospital mortality rate was 4.14% (N = 1830), and 5.21% (N = 2303) for 30-day mortality. EuroSCORE II significantly underestimated mortality in mild- and moderate-risk populations [Observed (O):Expected (E)-1.1, 1.16). In the AF subgroup, it performed well [O:E-0.99), whereas in the very high-risk population overestimated mortality (O:E-0.9). EuroSCORE II showed better discrimination in AF (-) [area under curve (AUC) 0.805, 95% CI 0.793-0.817)] than in AF (+) population (AUC 0.791, 95%CI 0.767-0.816), P < 0.001. The worst discriminative performance for the AF (+) group was for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (AUC 0.746, 95% CI 0.676-0.817) as compared with AF (-) population (AUC 0.798, 95% CI 0.774-0.822), P < 0.001. EuroSCORE II is more accurate for patients with AF. However, it underestimated mortality rates for low-to-moderate-risk patients and had a lower ability to distinguish between high- and low-risk patients with AF, particularly in those undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Tricuspid intervention for less-than-severe regurgitation simultaneously with minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in patients with atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: While tackling moderate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) simultaneously with left-side heart surgery is recommended by the guidelines, the procedure is still seldom performed, especially in the minimally invasive setting. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a known marker of both mortality and TR progression after mitral valve surgery. AIMS: This study aimed to investigatev the safety of performing tricuspid intervention and minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) in patients with preoperative AF. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures collected between 2006 and 2021. We included all patients who underwent MIMVS (mini-thoracotomy, totally thoracoscopic, or robotic surgery) and had presented with moderate tricuspid regurgitation and AF preoperatively. The primary endpoint was death from any cause at 30 days and at the longest available follow-up after MIMVS with tricuspid intervention vs. MIMVS alone. We used propensity score (PS) matching to account for baseline differences between groups. RESULTS: We identified 1545 patients with AF undergoing MIMVS, 54.7% were men aged 66.7 (mean [standard deviation, SD], 9.2) years. Of those, 733 (47.4%) underwent concomitant tricuspid valve intervention. At 13 years of follow-up, the addition of tricuspid intervention was associated with 33% higher mortality as compared to MIMVS alone (hazard ratio [HR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.69; P = 0.02). PS matching resulted in identifying 565 well-balanced pairs. Concomitant tricuspid intervention did not influence long-term follow-up (HR, 1.01; 95 CI, 0.74-1.38; P = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for baseline confounders, the addition of tricuspid intervention for moderate tricuspid regurgitation to MIMVS did not increase perioperative mortality nor influence long-term survival.

The impact of sex on in-hospital and long-term mortality rates in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement: The SAVR and SEX study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is among the most commonly performed valvular surgeries. Despite many previous studies conducted in this setting, the impact of sex on outcomes in patients undergoing SAVR is still unclear. AIMS: This study aimed to define sex differences in short- and long-term mortality in patients undergoing SAVR. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively all the patients undergoing isolated SAVR from January 2006 to March 2020 in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantology in John Paul II Hospital in Kraków. The primary endpoint was in-hospital and long-term mortality. Secondary endpoints included the duration of hospital stay and perioperative complications. Groups of men and women were compared with regard to the prosthesis type. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics. RESULTS: A total number of 4 510 patients undergoing isolated surgical SAVR were analyzed. A follow- up median (interquartile range [IQR]) was 2120 (1000-3452) days. Females made up 41.55% of the cohort and were older, displayed more non-cardiac comorbidities, and faced a higher operative risk. In both sexes, bioprostheses were more often applied (55.5% vs. 44.5%; P <0.0001). In univariable analysis, sex was not linked to in-hospital mortality (3.7% vs. 3%; P = 0.15) and late mortality rates (23.37% vs. 23.52 %; P = 0.9). Upon adjustment for baseline characteristics (propensity score matching analysis) and considering 5-year survival, a long-term prognosis turned out to be better in women (86.8%) compared to men (82.7%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: A key finding from this study suggests that female sex was not associated with higher in-hospital and late mortality rates compared to men. Further studies are needed to confirm longterm benefits in women undergoing SAVR.