BACKGROUND:Secundum atrial septal defect (ASD II) is a common congenital heart defect that produces a left-to-right shunt and increases pulmonary blood flow. Whether chronic pulmonary overcirculation raises extravascular pulmonary fluid before overt symptoms appear is uncertain. Lung ultrasound is a rapid, noninvasive, radiation-free bedside method that detects extravascular lung fluid through B-line artifacts and is an established tool for assessing pulmonary congestion. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to screen for sonographic evidence of pulmonary edema in clinically asymptomatic children with isolated ASD II using bedside lung ultrasound. METHODS:This prospective observational single-center study was conducted from January 2025 to May 2026. Children aged two to eight years with an echocardiographically confirmed ASD II, without chronic lung disease and without another significant shunt lesion or complex congenital anatomy, were screened. Echocardiography was performed per American Society of Echocardiography guidelines, and the pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio (Qp/Qs) was estimated echocardiographically. Lung ultrasound was performed at the bedside with a portable system (SonoSite; Fujifilm SonoSite Inc., Bothell, WA) using a high-frequency hockey-stick linear probe (HSL25x, 6-13 MHz). A scan was defined as positive when at least three B-lines were present in at least two bilateral lung zones. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS:Ten children were included (seven female, three male; mean age, 4.3 years; range, 2-8). Mean ASD diameter was 16.2 mm (range, 9.6-28.0), and the mean Qp/Qs was 2.8 (range, 1.26-4.4). Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide was available in eight of 10 children and was within the normal range in all of them. Lung ultrasound was positive in one of 10 children (10%) and negative in nine (90%). The single positive scan occurred in a child with a normal natriuretic peptide level, no comorbidity, and a moderate defect; the children with the largest defect and the highest shunt ratios all had negative scans. CONCLUSIONS:In this small cohort of asymptomatic children with isolated ASD II, sonographic signs of increased extravascular lung water were uncommon and did not correlate with defect size, shunt magnitude, or natriuretic peptide level. Bedside lung ultrasound was feasible. These findings require confirmation in larger, controlled studies.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) that requires heart surgery is common. Severe postoperative pulmonary hypertension (PH) occurs in 2

Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI) is a surgical alternative for correcting dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract in previously operated patients. MyVal transcatheter heart valve (THV) (Meril Life Sciences, India), a new transcatheter valve designed for aortic position has recently been reported to be implanted in pulmonary position. Myval transcatheter valve were implanted in patients with stenosed dysfunctional conduits, severe regurgitation from transannular patch or dysfunctional surgical pulmonary valves (Bioprosthesis). Procedural details and post-TPVI follow-up were analysed. Myval TPVI was used in Fifty three patients with median age of 15 years (IQR 12–19.5 years). Almost sixty percent of the patients were male, with a median weight of 50 kg (31–63 kg). Prestenting was used in more than 80 percent of patients (n = 45 patients), while 6 patients had a prior surgical valve implantation. After Myval TPVI implantation, the peak instantaneous gradient across the RVOT decreased from a median of 23.5 mmHg (IQR 10–53 mmHg) pre-procedure to 10 mmHg (IQR 5–16 mmHg) post-procedure. The median fluoroscopy time for the procedure was 35 min (IQR 23.5–44 min). The large sizes—mainly the 29-mm and 32 mm Myval (Navigator, Meril Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, India), were the most used size in 40

The objective of this study was to review the outcome of patients who underwent transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) using Nit-Occlud® Leˆ VSD-Coil.A retrospective study was carried out at King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center on all paediatric patients who underwent interventional VSD closure, during the period from 2011 and 2016. Data were collected, including demographic information, cardiac diagnosis, pre-operative diagnosis, intra-operative findings and postoperative events. Out of 46 patients, who were evaluated for VSD device closure, 17 of them were excluded; 24 patients out of 29 had successful closure of VSD using Nit-Occlud Leˆ VSD-Coil (success rate of 83%), and five cases were referred to surgery. The age group was from 2 years up to 18 years. Almost 90% of VSD was the perimembranous (PM) type (26 patients) and 3 patients (10%) with muscular VSD. Ten of the 26 PM VSDs had TV accessory tissue partially covering the VSD defects. The hemodynamic assessment showed pulmonary blood flow to systemic blood flow ratio (Qp:Qs) > 1.5 in almost all the patients who underwent defect closure. Immediate closure of the defect was achieved in 11/24 patients (45%). In five additional patients, there was a tiny residual and eight with a small residual. With 6 months of follow-up, only six patients remained with tiny residual VSD defects.The Nit-Occlud® Leˆ VSD-Coil device has minimal effects on the aortic and tricuspid valves, and there was no permanent atrioventricular block, especially in patients with PM VSDs. Patients with a residual shunt should be followed, especially for haemolysis.

BACKGROUND:Morbidity with surgical systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunting (SPS) in infants ≤2.5 kg has remained high. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) stenting may be a valid alternative. The objective of this study is to evaluate outcomes following PDA stenting in patients ≤2.5 kg from four large tertiary centers.METHODS:Retrospective review of all neonates ≤2.5 kg with duct-dependent pulmonary circulation who underwent PDA stenting. Procedural details, pulmonary arterial growth, reinterventions, surgery type, and outcomes were assessed.RESULTS:PDA stents were implanted in 37 of 38 patients attempted (18 female) at a median procedural weight of 2.2 kg (interquartile range [IQR], 2-2.4 kg). Seven patients (18%) had a genetic abnormality and 16 (42%) had associated comorbidities. The median intensive care unit stay was 4 days (IQR, 2-6.75 days), and the median hospital stay was 20 days (IQR, 16-57.25). One patient required a rescue shunt procedure, with three others requiring early SPS (<30 days postprocedure). Twenty patients (54%) required reintervention with either balloon angioplasty, restenting, or both. At 6-month follow-up, right pulmonary artery growth (median z-score -1.16 to 0.01, p = 0.05) was greater than the left pulmonary artery (median z-score -0.9 to -0.64, p = 0.35). Serious adverse effects (SAEs) were seen in 18% (N = 7) of our cohort. One patient developed an SAE during planned reintervention There were no intraprocedural deaths, with one early procedure-related mortality, and three interstage mortalities not directly related to PDA stenting.CONCLUSIONS:PDA stenting in infants ≤2.5 kg is feasible and effective, promoting pulmonary artery growth. Reintervention rates are relatively high, though many are planned to allow for optimal growth before a definitive operation.

The population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) exceeding 35 million people and in the presence of a non-structured increase in the number of pediatric cardiac centers, we expect to face some concerns like dilution of the service where the volume will be less than the acceptable standards, the increase in mortality and morbidity, and failure to obtain personalized medicine at a reasonable cost. Therefore, we built up this survey questionnaire about those concerns and collected the opinion of expert medical staff in Saudi Arabia who are working in the field of pediatric cardiology. Seventy percent of the responders vs. 25% recommend the centralization of the PCS as the solution for the above concerns, and 94% recommend sticking to the globally accepted criteria when issuing the license of the centers providing PCS including the volume of patients in each center, and minimum multidisciplinary facilities in terms of resources, services, and personnel.

Objective: The ideal management of peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis is still controversial. We adopted a primary surgical approach to this complex lesion with excellent early outcomes. In this study, we analyzed our late outcomes. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 91 patients with biventricular anatomy who underwent peripheral pulmonary artery reconstruction from March 2008 to July 2020. Our surgical approach included either a single-stage complete repair through median sternotomy or a 2-stage repair through sternotomy/left thoracotomy, depending on the degree of distal involvement of the left pulmonary artery branches. Results: Median age was 26 months. Syndromic etiology was established in 54 patients (59.3%) versus nonsyndromic etiology in 37 patients (40.7%). Single-stage repair was achieved in 68 patients (74.7%). There were 2 (2.2%) in-hospital mortalities. The mean right ventricular to aortic systolic pressure ratio decreased from 1.07 +/- 0.20 preoperatively to 0.32 +/- 0.07 immediately postoperatively (P < .001), representing a 70.1% reduction. At 1-year postoperative catheterization, the mean right ventricular to aortic systolic pressure ratio was 0.28 +/- 0.05 (P < .001 compared with immediately postoperative value). With a median follow-up of 68 months (IQR, 39-117.5 months), there was no late mortality after discharge. All patients were active and asymptomatic on the most recent follow-up. There were no early or late reinterventions on pulmonary arteries. Conclusions: Late outcomes of surgical reconstruction of peripheral pulmonary arteries are excellent and durable in various pathologies (syndromic and nonsyndromic) with a significant reduction in right ventricular to aortic systolic pressure ratio, low mortality, and no reintervention.

Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) plays a major role in congenital heart management and critical decision. The impact of pulmonary vascular disease in the early and late morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery and interventional catheterization in congenital heart defect (CHD) highlights the importance of critical evaluation for PVR. Currently, PVR is evaluated with invasive cardiac catheterization for hemodynamic data collection, processing, and analysis. Despite the limitation of hemodynamic evaluation in the setting of CHD, accurate data analysis, and interpretation have significant impact on clinical outcome and procedure success. This article reviews the basic calculation of PVR in the setting of congenital heart disease with diagrammatic illustration for easy understanding of the hemodynamic.

Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) plays a major role in congenital heart management and critical decision. The impact of pulmonary vascular disease in the early and late morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery and interventional catheterization in congenital heart defect (CHD) highlights the importance of critical evaluation for PVR. Currently, PVR is evaluated with invasive cardiac catheterization for hemodynamic data collection, processing, and analysis. Despite the limitation of hemodynamic evaluation in the setting of CHD, accurate data analysis, and interpretation have significant impact on clinical outcome and procedure success. This article reviews the basic calculation of PVR in the setting of congenital heart disease with diagrammatic illustration for easy understanding of the hemodynamic.

Introduction: Congenital malformations of the cardiovascular system are the commonest malformation in the human. Aortic arch anomalies are among the important cardiovascular malformations, and its detection could be challenging. Isolation of one or more of the aortic arch branches is a rare type of aortic arch anomaly.