Background : Perioperative care in congenital heart surgery has evolved in recent years, and it was considered a contributive factor to improve surgical outcome and prognosis. Objective : To extract perioperative clinical protocols that have been applied in our hospital, then assess their usefulness for better clinical outcome. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed our patients' records to analyze representative perioperative protocols that might have contributed to surgical outcome, such as intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (ITEE), extubation in the operating room on patients of atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), Glenn procedure and Fontan procedure. We also assessed clinical pathway of ASD and VSD, and each protocol was individually explored to calculate achievement ratio in order to show its adequacy. Results : This study included 482 of on-pump surgery patients and 146 of off-pump surgery patients from June 2007 to June 2014. ITEE was performed in 474 of on-pump surgery patients and 102 of off-pump surgery patients. No case had a residual lesion immediately after operation. Extubation in the operating room was performed in cases without severe pulmonary hypertension (PH). The extubation ratio was 94.7% (ASD repair), 60.0% (VSD repair), 50.0% (TOF repair), 42.5% (Glenn procedure), and 45.2% (Fontan procedure), respectively. Clinical pathways of ASD and VSD included patients without severe PH. Achievement ratio of the clinical pathway was 98.2% in ASD and 94.2% in VSD patients, respectively. Four patients were excluded because of high c-reactive protein (CRP), and one patient because of familial circumstance. Conclusion : ITEE was useful in evaluation of cardiac function, residual issue and residual air at weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass. Reintubation did not occur in any clinical course of extubation in the operating room, but the extubation rate was not high because of safety concerns. Achievement ratio of the clinical pathways of both ASD and VSD was more than 90%, therefore, application of the clinical pathway was considered appropriate.

A 10-day-old male neonate underwent repair of mixed-type total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The left upper pulmonary vein connected to the left innominate vein by way of a vertical vein. The other veins converged to form a common pulmonary vein and drained to the coronary sinus. As the common pulmonary vein was not stenotic, normal coronary sinus unroofing was undertaken and the postoperative course was uneventful. Five months later pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) occurred at the junction of the common pulmonary vein and coronary sinus. At reoperation the common pulmonary vein was deeply incised to the point near the pulmonary venous orifice, and the stenotic tissue was resected. Although he was discharged from the hospital on the 10th postoperative day, PVS recurred at age 9 months and a second reoperation was undertaken. This time, the common pulmonary vein was excised and the anterior wall of each pulmonary vein was incised to drain independently and directly to the left atrium without causing turbulence. The left upper pulmonary vein was anastomosed to the left atrial appendage. Pulmonary angiography 18 months after the second reoperation revealed the pulmonary venous pathway to be nonstenotic.

Methods: This study enrolled 273 patients who underwent an initial BKP. To treat osteoporosis, parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration was started 1–2 weeks before BKP and continued for at least 6 months postoperatively. Corsets were applied for 3 months after the procedure. Rehabilitative interventions, including hip range-of-motion training, muscle strengthening exercises, and motion/posture instruction, were started from the preoperative assessment time point and resumed 3 hours postoperatively. Corsets were used in all patients. Therefore, no grouping based on corset use was performed. PTH was used in 180 patients, and they were divided into the following two groups: PTH user group and PTH nonuser group. Rehabilitative interventions were provided to all patients for a median duration of 17 days. Patients who underwent rehabilitative intervention for <17 and ≥17 days were included in the short-term and long-term intervention groups, respectively. The incidences of SVBFs for these four groups were compared. Results: SVBF occurred in 29 patients (10.6%). The SVBF incidence among patients who were prescribed all three prophylactic measures was 6.2%. The PTH user group had a significantly lower incidence of distant vertebral body fractures as compared to the PTH nonuser group. The long-term rehabilitation group had a significantly lower incidence of SVBFs and adjacent vertebral body fractures within 50 postoperative days than the short-term group. Conclusions A 17-day or longer rehabilitative intervention may lower the risk of early adjacent vertebral body fractures, and the use of PTH may reduce the risk of distant vertebral body fractures.

Since 1983, we have experienced endovascular treatment of intracranial AVMs.2)3) Superselective catheterization of feeding artery, embolization or feeding artery occlusion of the cerebral AVMs have been performed for 73 cases in 134 sessions. Endovascular treatment of intracranial AVMs such as embolization or feeding artery occlusion have been performed for 57 cases of AVMs in 95 sessions. In each time, endovascular approach was performed for two to five feeding arteries, so more than 300 feeding arteries were catheterized by microcatheters or balloon catheters. In this report, we present our experiences of endovascular treatment of intracranial AVMs and discuss embolic materials and the role of endovascular treatment of intracranial. AVMs.
Arteries ; Catheterization ; Catheters

Objectives: To examine the efficacy and clinical and radiological outcomes of the use of a streamlined clavicle plate® (MEIRA, Aichi, Japan) for midshaft clavicular fractures.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 155 patients with displaced midshaft clavicular fractures treated using a streamlined clavicle plate between 2015 and 2019 in 18 hospitals across Japan. A questionnaire regarding bone union and postoperative complications was used, and 136 cases were followed up for one year or until bone union. Plate fitting was evaluated retrospectively using surgical records, radiographic findings, and surgeon’s opinion.Results: During surgery, plate bending was needed in 19 cases (12.3%), poor fitting was observed in 8 cases (5.2%), and bone union was achieved in 133 cases (97.8%). Total implantation failure, including plate breakage and screw loosening, occurred in 10 cases (6.5%) from the intraoperative to postoperative period. Subjective complications were observed in 26 cases (16.8%): incongruity around the surgical scar or in the anterior chest in 23, and contracture of the shoulder in three. Plate removal was performed in 66 cases (48.5%) per patient’s request.Conclusion: The use of a streamlined clavicle plate is effective for midshaft fractures of the clavicle, and the success rates of bone union and implantation using this approach are comparable to those of other existing plates.