New era of pediatric ventricular assist devices: let us go to school.

As there is still a shortage of pediatric donor hearts, several techniques have been used to assist pediatric patients to survive until transplantation. VADs provide long-term support and ability of mobilization for children before a suitable heart becomes available. Several devices such as paracorporeal pumps have been used for this purpose, with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. However, discharge is not possible, as there is no mobile drive unit for these small-sized pumps. The possible negative psychosocial impact of long-term hospitalization, away from home and school, may cause some adjustment problems in the future. In this case series, three pediatric patients that underwent intracorporeal LVAD implantation and returned to school are presented to share clinical experience and also to attract attention to the potential social and psychiatric implications.

Comparison of osteoporotic fracture risk in surgical and natural menopausal patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the fracture risk calculated with Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) in patients with natural and surgical menopause. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 2019 and July 2019, 285 postmenopausal patients (mean age 57.3 years; range, 40 to 78 years) who were admitted to the menopause clinic were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study. Of these, 220 were in natural menopause and 65 were in surgical menopause. Demographic data, medical history, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores were collected through face-to-face interviews with the patients. Femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae (L1-L4) T-scores were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fragility fracture risk was assessed using FRAX®. RESULTS: The groups were similar in terms of age, body mass index, duration of menopause, smoking, alcohol use, and history of fracture (p>0.05). The risk of major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture calculated without adding bone mineral density (BMD) was similar between groups (p=0.417 and p=0.234). The risk of hip fracture calculated with the addition of BMD was higher in natural menopause patients (p=0.023). Lumbar vertebrae T-scores were similar between two groups regardless of age; femoral neck T-scores were higher in surgical menopause (T-score=-0.8) than natural menopause group (T-score=-1.25) aged under 60 years, whereas this difference disappeared after 60 years of age. CONCLUSION: In our study, the fracture risk and the severity of osteoporosis were not different in surgical menopausal patients compared to the natural menopausal patients. Hip fracture risk calculated using BMD was lower in patients under 50 years of age in surgical menopausal patients. However, the fracture risks were similar in both groups after 50 years of age.

Risk Factors of Gastrointestinal Bleeding After Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device.

This study aimed to compare von Willebrand factor (vWF) levels, ristocetin cofactor levels, platelet counts, aortic valve movements, and right heart failure (RHF) as risk factors of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist device (cf-LVAD). In a single centre, 90 patients (mean age 52.0 ± 10.5 years), of which 59 were male and 31 were female, had cf-LVAD implantation from October 2010 to November 2012. Seventy-six (84.4%) patients had HeartWare (Medtronic, Mounds View, MN) and 14 (15.5%) had Heartmate II (Thoratec, Pleasanton, CA) implanted. vWF level, ristocetin cofactor level, and platelet count were measured before and after implantation to determine the presence of acquired von Willebrand Syndrome; aortic valve movement and postoperative RHF were evaluated to compare the difference in bleeding and nonbleeding patient groups. Fifteen patients (16.6%) suffered GI bleeding after cf-LVAD implantation. A statistically significant decrease was found in vWF and ristocetin cofactor levels from preoperative period to postoperative period in both bleeding and nonbleeding patient groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in bleeding and nonbleeding groups regarding aortic valve movements (p ≥ 0.05). Postoperative RHF incidence was significantly high in the bleeding patient group compared with the nonbleeding group (p < 0.05). Therefore, depending on the findings of this study, acquired von Willebrand Syndrome was seen in all cf-LVAD patients, and postoperative RHF was an important risk factor for GI bleeding.