Bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) is a rare congenital abnormality of the lower airway, generally characterized by blood supply received from the systemic circulation. We present a rare case of a 19-year-old man with incidentally detected BPS supplied by a branch of a pulmonary artery, rather than a systemic artery. Computed tomography showed a sequestered segment supplied by a branch of the left pulmonary artery and containing an ectopic bronchus. As chest computed tomography revealed necrosis in the sequestered tissue, infection was presumed, and the tissue was surgically removed. This may represent a very unusual occurrence, as such cases have yet to be reported in the literature.

A 39-year-old man presented to the department of emergency medicine in Seoul National University Hospital complaining of chest pain, heart palpitation, and headache. Upon arrival, a computed tomography scan showed a 7.0 cm×6.2 cm lesion with the typical features of a paraganglioma. The patient was treated with an alpha-blocker and a beta-blocker prior to surgical intervention. We removed the tumor successfully, and histopathologic findings indicated that the tumor was indeed a paraganglioma. Since intracardiac paraganglioma is a rare disease, we present this case together with a literature review.

Insertion of an epicardial pacemaker is a useful treatment for pediatric patients with an abnormal heart rhythm. However, there are limitations and concerns when implanting epicardial pacemakers in infants and neonates due to their small body size. We report a patient who experienced rare complications after implantation of a permanent pacemaker.

Treatment options for children with end-stage heart failure are limited. We report the first case of a successful pediatric heart transplantation bridged with a durable left ventricular assist device in Korea. A 10-month-old female infant with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular non-compaction was listed for heart transplantation. During the waiting period, the patient’s status deteriorated. Therefore, we decided to provide support with a durable left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation. The patient was successfully bridged to heart transplantation with effective support and without any major adverse events.

Background: As the population of patients with end-stage renal disease has grown older, the proportion of patients with poorly preserved vasculature has concomitantly increased. Thus, arteriovenous grafts (AVG) have been used more frequently to access blood vessels for hemodialysis. Despite this increasing demand, studies of AVG are limited. In this study, we examined the surgical outcomes of upper-limb AVG creation. Methods: Among the arteriovenous fistula formation procedures performed between January 2014 and March 2019 at Dankook University Hospital, 42 cases involved AVG creation. We compared patients in whom the axillary vein was used (group A; brachioaxillary AVG [B-Ax AVG]; n=20) with those in whom upper limb veins were used (group B; brachiobasilic AVG or brachioantecubital AVG; n=22). Results: The 1-year primary patency rate was higher in group A than in group B (57.9% vs. 41.7%; p=0.262). The incidence of postoperative complications was not significantly different between groups. Conclusion AVG using the axillary vein showed no major differences in safety or functionality compared to AVG using other veins. Therefore, accounting for age, underlying disease, and expected patient lifespan, B-Ax AVG can be considered an acceptable surgical method.

Background: It is generally agreed that using a bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) composite graft improves long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Although the left internal thoracic artery (LITA)-based Y-composite graft is widely adopted, technical or anatomical difficulties necessitate complex configurations. We aimed to investigate whether BITA configuration impacts survival or patency in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Methods: Between January 2006 and June 2017, 1,161 patients underwent CABG at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, where the standard technique is a LITA-based Y-composite graft with the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) sequentially anastomosed to non-left anterior descending (LAD) targets. Total of 160 patients underwent CABG using BITA with modifications. Their medical records and imaging data were reviewed retrospectively to investigate technical details, clinical outcomes, and graft patency. Results: Modifications of the typical Y-graft (group 1, n=90), LITA-based I-graft (group 2, n=39), and RITA-based composite graft (group 3, n=31) were used due to insufficient RITA length (47%), problems using LITA (28%), and target vessel anatomy (25%). The overall 30- day mortality rate was 1.9%. Among 116 patients who underwent computed tomography or conventional angiography at a mean interval of 29.9±33.1 months postoperatively, the graft patency rates were 98.7%, 95.3%, and 83.6% for the LAD, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery territories, respectively. Patency rates for the inflow, secondary, and tertiary grafts were 98.2%, 90.5%, and 80.4%, respectively. The RITA-based graft (group 3) had the lowest patency rate of the various configurations (p<0.011). Conclusion LITA-based Y composite graft, showed satisfactory clinical outcomes and patency whereas modifications of RITA- based composite graft had the lowest patency and 5-year survival rates. Therefore, when using RITA-based composite graft, other options should be considered before proceeding atypical configurations.

Background: Despite progress in treatment, Stanford type A aortic dissection is still a life-threatening disease. In this study, we analyzed surgical outcomes in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection according to the extent of surgery at Daegu Catholic University Medical Center. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 98 patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection who underwent surgery at our institution between January 2008 and June 2018. Of these patients, 82 underwent limited replacement (hemi-arch or ascending aortic replacement), while 16 patients underwent total arch replacement (TAR). We analyzed in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, the overall 5-year survival rate, and the 5-year aortic event-free survival rate. Results: The median follow-up time was 48 months (range, 1–128 months), with a completion rate of 85.7% (n=84). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 8.2%: 6.1% in the limited replacement group and 18.8% in the TAR group (p=0.120). The overall 5-year survival rate was 78.8% in the limited replacement group and 81.3% in the TAR group (p=0.78). The overall 5-year aortic event-free survival rate was 85.3% in the limited replacement group and 88.9% in the TAR group (p=0.46). Conclusion The extent of surgery was not related to the rates of in-hospital mortality, complications, aortic events, or survival. Although this study was conducted at a small-volume center, the in-hospital mortality and 5-year survival rates were satisfactory.

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has become the major surgical option for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Endoscopic instruments such as stapler cartridges are essential for VATS procedures. In this study, we investigated the factors that affect the number of stapler cartridges used in VATS lobectomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients who underwent complete VATS lobectomy for NSCLC from January 2013 to December 2015. Results: In total, 596 patients underwent complete VATS lobectomy. The average number of stapler cartridges used for VATS lobectomy was 5.3±1.9. The number of stapler cartridges used for VATS lobectomy was higher in men (5.5±1.9 vs. 5.0±18, p=0.006), those aged older than 70 years (5.5±2.1 vs. 5.1±1.7, p=0.038), those who underwent upper or middle lobectomy procedures (5.7±1.9 vs. 4.1±1.2, p<0.001), those with a higher fissure sum average (p<0.001), and those in whom surgery was performed by a surgeon with a preference for staplers (5.6±2.0 vs. 4.9±1.6, p<0.001). Conclusion The number of stapler cartridges required to perform VATS lobectomy in NSCLC patients appears to be influenced by sex, age, the location of the tumor, the degree of fissure development, and the surgeon’s preference.

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is commonly treated with chest tube insertion, which requires hospitalization. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy, costs, and benefits of a portable small-bore chest tube (Thoracic Egg; Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) compared with a conventional chest tube. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all primary spontaneous pneumothorax patients who underwent treatment at Gangnam Severance Hospital between August 2014 and May 2018. Results: A total of 279 patients were divided into 2 groups: the conventional group (n=236) and the Thoracic Egg group (n=43). Of the 236 patients in the conventional group, 100 were excluded because they underwent surgery during the study period. The efficacy and cost were compared between the 2 groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding recurrence (conventional group, 36 patients [26.5%]; Thoracic Egg group, 15 patients [29.4%]; p=0.287). However, the Egg group had statistically significantly lower mean medical expenses than the conventional group (433,413 Korean won and 522,146 Korean won, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion Although portable small-bore chest tubes may not be significantly more efficacious than conventional chest tubes, their use is significantly less expensive. We believe that the Thoracic Egg catheter could be a less costly alternative to conventional chest tube insertion.