Objective To summarize and explore the individualized surgical treatment strategy and prognosis of anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery (AAOCA). Methods The clinical data of children with AAOCA admitted to Shanghai Children's Medical Center from March 2018 to August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 17 children were enrolled, including 13 males and 4 females, with a median age of 88 (44, 138) months and a median weight of 25 (18, 29) kg. All patients received operations. The methods of coronary artery management included coronary artery decapitation in 9 patients, coronary artery transplantation in 5 patients and coronary artery perforation in 3 patients. One patient with severe cardiac insufficiency (left ventricular ejection fraction 15%) received mechanical circulatory assistance after the operation for 12 days. No death occurred in the early postoperative period, the average ICU stay time was 4.3±3.0 d, and the total hospital stay was 14.4±6.1 d. All the children received regular anticoagulation therapy for 3 months after discharge. The median follow-up time was 15 (13, 24) months. All patients received regular anticoagulation therapy for 3 months after discharge. No clinical symptoms such as chest pain and syncope occurred again. The cardiac function grade was significantly improved compared with that before operation. Imaging examination showed that the coronary artery blood flow on the operation side was unobstructed, and no restenosis occurred. Conclusion AAOCA is easy to induce myocardial ischemia and even sudden cardiac death. Once diagnosed, operation should be carried out as soon as possible. According to the anatomic characteristics of coronary artery, the early effect of individualized surgery is satisfactory, and the symptoms of the children are significantly improved and the cardiac function recovers well in the mid-term follow-up.

Objective     To analyze the clinical efficacy and survival outcome of totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement and evaluate its efficiency and safety. Methods     The clinical data of patients with totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for postoperative death. Results     There were 48 patients including 29 females and 19 males with a median age of 53 (44, 66) years. All the procedures were performed successfully with no conversion to median sternotomy. A total of 15, 10 and 23 patients received surgeries under non-beating heart, beating heart and ventricular fibrillation, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.25% (3/48), and the incidence of early postoperative complications was 18.75% (9/48). Thirty-five (72.92%) patients had their tracheal intubation removed within 24 hours after the operation. The 1- and 6-year survival rates were 89.50% (95%CI 81.30%-98.70%) and 82.90%(95%CI 71.50%-96.20%), respectively. Age>65 years was an independent risk factor for postoperative death (P=0.04). Conclusion     Totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement is safe and reliable, with advantages of rapid recovery, reducing blood transfusion rate, reducing postoperative complications and acceptable long-term survival rate. It is worthy of being widely popularized in the clinic.

We reported a 26-year-old male who was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular aneurysm. The location of the hypertrophic myocardium and the extent of resection were accurately assessed preoperatively using 3D modeling and printing technology. Myectomy was performed via transapical approach, and the intraoperative exploration was consistent with the description of the preoperative 3D modeling. The patient underwent the surgery successfully without any complications during the hospitalization, and the cardiopulmonary bypass time was 117 min, the aortic cross-clamping time was 57 min, and the hospital stay time was 7 d. The postoperative echocardiography demonstrated left ventricular cavity flow patency. This case provides a reference for the management of patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objective To investigate the effects of banding width on hemodynamic characteristics of pulmonary artery (PA) by constructing pulmonary artery banding (PAB) models with different widths. Methods Based on clinical practice, with the same banding position and degree, computer-aided design (CAD) was utilized to reconstruct three-dimensional PAB models with different banding widths (2, 3, 4, 5 mm). Hemodynamic characteristics of the models with different banding widths, including pressure, streamlines, energy loss, energy efficiency and blood flow distribution ratio, were compared and analyzed through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Results The pressure of PA decreased significantly, while the change of banding width had no significant effects on the pressure drop level at banding position. With the increase of banding width, the energy loss decreased, and the energy efficiency showed an upward trend. The blood flow of the left PA raised, and the ratio of blood flow distribution between the left PA and right PA increased, with the maximum reaching up to 2.28 : 1. Conclusions The increase of banding width can reduce the energy loss of PA and improve the energy efficiency of blood flow, but it will lead to the imbalance of blood flow distributions between the left and right lungs. Both the balance of blood flow distribution and the energy loss should be considered in choice for banding width of PAB. The virtual design of PAB surgery based on CAD and CFD will assist individualized banding width selection in future.

BACKGROUND: Management of gastric leak after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is challenging due to its unpredictable outcomes. We aimed to summarize the characteristics of SG leaks and analyze interventions and corresponding outcomes in a real-world setting. METHODS: To retrospectively review of 15,721 SG procedures from 2010 to 2020 based on a national registry. A cumulative sum analysis was used to identify a fitting curve of gastric leak rate. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were performed to calculate and compare the probabilities of relevant outcomes. The logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of acute leaks. RESULTS: A total of 78 cases of SG leaks were collected with an incidence of 0.5% (78/15,721) from this registry (6 patients who had the primary SG in non-participating centers). After accumulating 260 cases in a bariatric surgery center, the leak rate decreased to a stably low value of under 1.17%. The significant differences presented in sex, waist circumference, and the proportion of hypoproteinemia and type 2 diabetes at baseline between patients with SG leak and the whole registry population ( P = 0.005, = 0.026, <0.001, and = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, 83.1% (59/71) of the leakage was near the esophagogastric junction region. Leakage healed in 64 (88.9%, 64/72) patients. The median healing time of acute and non-acute leaks was 5.93 months and 8.12 months, respectively. Acute leak (38/72, 52.8%) was the predominant type with a cumulative reoperation rate >50%, whereas the cumulative healing probability in the patients who required surgical treatment was significantly lower than those requring non-surgical treatment ( P = 0.013). Precise dissection in the His angle area was independently associated with a lower acute leak rate, whereas preservation ≥2 cm distance from the His angle area was an independent risk factor. CONCLUSIONS Male sex, elevated waist circumference, hypoproteinaemia, and type 2 diabetes are risk factors of gastric leaks after SG. Optimizing surgical techniques, including precise dissection of His angle area and preservation of smaller gastric fundus, should be suggested to prevent acute leaks.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Obesity, Morbid ; Anastomotic Leak/epidemiology* ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Reoperation/methods* ; Registries ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To describe the disease characteristics of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who experiencing prolonged glucocorticoid (GC) exposure. METHODS: Between January 2016 and June 2019, 449 SLE patients meeting the criteria were recruited from multiple centers. Hip MRI examinations were performed during screening and regular follow-up to determine the occurrence of ONFH. The cohort was divided into ONFH and non-ONFH groups, and the differences in demographic baseline characteristics, general clinical characteristics, GC medication information, combined medication, and hip clinical features were compared and comprehensively described. RESULTS: The age at SLE diagnosis was 29.8 (23.2, 40.9) years, with 93.1% (418 cases) being female. The duration of GC exposure was 5.3 (2.0, 10.5) years, and the cumulative incidence of SLE-ONFH was 9.1%. Significant differences ( P<0.05) between ONFH and non-ONFH groups were observed in the following clinical characteristics: ① Demographic baseline characteristics: ONFH group had a higher proportion of patients with body mass index (BMI)<20 kg/m ² compared to non-ONFH group. ② General clinical characteristics: ONFH group showed a higher proportion of patients with cutaneous and renal manifestations, positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and anticardiolipin antibodies, severe SLE patients [baseline SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score ≥15], and secondary hypertension. Fasting blood glucose in ONFH group was also higher. ③ GC medication information: ONFH group had higher initial intravenous GC exposure rates, duration, cumulative doses, higher cumulative GC doses in the first month and the first 3 months, higher average daily doses in the first 3 months, and higher proportions of average daily doses ≥15.0 mg/d and ≥30.0 mg/d, as well as higher full-course average daily doses and proportion of full-course daily doses ≥30.0 mg/d compared to non-ONFH group. ④ Combined medications: ONFH group had a significantly higher rate of antiplatelet drug use than non-ONFH group. ⑤ Hip clinical features: ONFH group had a higher proportion of hip discomfort or pain and a higher incidence of hip joint effusion before MRI screening than non-ONFH group. CONCLUSION The incidence of ONFH after GC exposure in China's SLE population remains high (9.1%), with short-term (first 3 months), medium-to-high dose (average daily dose ≥15 mg/d) GC being closely associated with ONFH. Severe SLE, low BMI, certain clinical phenotypes, positive aPLs, and secondary hypertension may also be related to ONFH.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Glucocorticoids/adverse effects* ; Incidence ; Femur Head ; Prospective Studies ; Femur Head Necrosis/epidemiology* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/chemically induced* ; Hypertension/drug therapy*

Objective:To investigate the changes of plasma prolactin (PRL) and cortisol (Cor) in the head up tilt test (HUT) in children with vasovagal syncope (VVS), and their correlation with VVS.Methods:From May 2019 to May 2020, 75 children diagnosed as VVS through positive HUT in the Children′s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics were retrospectively recruited as VVS group, while 29 healthy children with negative HUT during the same period were collected in healthy control group.Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure [systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP)] were monitored using a noninvasive continuous blood pressure monitor.The changes of HR, SBP and DBP were analyzed and their differences between the supine position and positive reaction of HUT were compared.The contents of PRL and Cor in the supine position and positive reaction of HUT were measured using the electrochemiluminescence, and their changes (ΔPRL and ΔCor) were calculated.Differences between groups were analyzed by the two-tailed Student′s t-test or the Mann- Whitney test.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to analyze the predictive value of ΔPRL on VVS. Results:There were no significant differences in the age, gender, body mass index, blood electrolyte, syncope frequency and syncope course between VVS group and healthy control group (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in syncope frequency and course of syncope among subtypes of VVS group (vasodepressor syncope, mixed syncope, cardioinhibitory syncope)(all P>0.05). Compared with healthy control group, PRL after HUT was significantly higher in VVS group[36.23 (22.08, 61.97) μg/L vs.11.47 (8.00, 23.25 ) μg/L, Z=-5.40, P<0.01]. Both ΔPRL [25.36( 9.92, 48.93) μg/L vs.-0.10(- 2.67, 9.32) μg/L, Z=-5.39, P<0.01] and ΔCor [(84.4±43.6) μg/L vs.(57.6±64.6) μg/L, t=-2.44, P<0.05 ] were significantly higher in VVS group than those of healthy control group.PRL at HUT positive reaction was negatively correlated with SBP and DBP ( r=- 0.46, -0.45, all P<0.01). In VVS group, PRL at HUT positive reaction was negatively correlated with SBP ( r=-0.38, -0.24, all P<0.05). In VVS group, ΔCor after HUT was negatively correlated with SBP ( r=-0.25, P<0.05). ROC curves revealed that the cut-off value of ΔPRL in predicting HUT was 4.03 μg/L, with the sensitivity of 89.3% and specificity of 72.4%. Conclusions:Plasma PRL and Cor increase during syncope in VVS children, and plasma PRL is correlated with blood pressure drop.The increased plasma level of PRL in VVS children with positive HUT is correlated with blood pressure, and ΔCor is correlated with SBP.Plasma PRL and Cor may be involved in the pathogenesis of VVS and ΔPRL presents the diagnostic potential of VVS in children.

An 81-year-old male patient was admitted to Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital due to chest distress and shortness of breath after activity for half a year. Examination after admission revealed severe aortic insufficiency, tricuspid aortic valve and extremely horizontal aorta with an aortic root angulation of 99°. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 7%. And taking the strong demand of the patient and his family into consideration, we decided to perform transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement after multidisciplinary evaluation. The procedure was successfully performed by means of low deployment land zone and traction of pre-exist Prolene suture. Three-month follow-up confirmed the normal function of aortic prosthetic valve without residual regurgitation. This case provides a reference for the interventional treatment in patients with extremely horizontal aorta.

Objective    To determine the clinical efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic regurgitation (AR) combined with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Methods    The clinical data of 13 patients who underwent TAVR due to severe AR combined with severe MR from March 2018 to September 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 10 males and 3 females with a mean age of 72.54±2.35 years. The echocardiographic findings of all patients were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. Results    Surgeries were performed successfully in all patients without intraoperative death or conversion to sternotomy. The operation time was 118.15±11.42 min, intraoperative blood loss was 100.00 (75.00, 250.00) mL, and the length of hospital stay after surgery was 9.00 (4.50, 11.00) d. The mean follow-up duration was 10.00 (6.50, 38.50) months, during which there were 2 patients with mild to moderate AR, 6 with mild AR, and 5 with no AR; meanwhile, severe MR decreased significantly (P=0.001) even without active intervention, including 4 mild to moderate MR and 9 mild MR patients. Compared to preoperative indexes, the left atrial diameter [46.00 (41.00, 52.50) mm vs. 35.00 (34.00, 41.00) mm, P<0.001], left ventricular end-systolic diameter [45.00 (36.00, 56.00) mm vs. 35.00 (28.00, 39.00) mm, P=0.002] and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (62.62±2.40 mm vs. 51.08±2.49 mm, P<0.001) showed a decreasing trend during the follow-up. Conclusion    In selected patients with severe AR combined with severe MR, TAVR alone improves AR and combined MR at the same time.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness and safety of nanoknife ablation guided by real-time virtual sonography (RVS) in the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 27 patients with LAPC who attended The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2018 to October 2019, and according to the treatment method, the patients were divided into combination group (12 patients treated with IRE combined with chemotherapy) and control group (15 patients treated with chemotherapy alone). The chemotherapy regimen was gemcitabine combined with tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil potassium for both groups. Adverse reactions and complications were observed for the combination group during the perioperative period, and the two groups were compared in terms of the changes in myocardial enzymes, blood amylase, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) before treatment and at different time points after treatment, as well as remission rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) at 3 months after treatment and survival status during follow-up. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Wilcoxon test was used for comparison within each group; the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival status during follow-up. ResultsIn the combination group, there were 12 cases of adverse reactions and mild complications during the perioperative period, i.e., 9 Clavien-Dindo grade I cases and 3 grade II cases. All patients in the combination group experienced a transient increase in myocardial enzymes, which returned to normal within 7 days, and there were no significant changes in creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase on day 7 after treatment (P＞0.05); 9 patients had a significant increase in blood amylase on day 1 after surgery, which significantly decreased on day 7 after surgery and basically returned to normal on day 14 after surgery, and there was no significant change in blood amylase on days 7、14， and 1 month after surgery (P＞0.05). Before treatment, the level of CA19-9 was higher than the normal value in both groups, and the combination group had a significant reduction in CA19-9 at 1, 2, and 3 months after treatment (all P＜005); in the control group, the level of CA19-9 firstly decreased for a short time and then increased, while there was no significant change in CA19-9 at 1, 2, and 3 months after treatment (all P＞0.05). At 3 months after treatment, the combination group had significantly higher RR and DCR than the control group (RR: 75.0% vs 26.7%, P=0.021; DCR: 91.6% vs 53.3%, P=0043). During the median follow-up time of 13 months, compared with the control group, the combination group had significantly higher median progression-free survival time (10 months vs 5 months, P=0.014) and median overall survival time (18 months vs 10 months, P=0.034). ConclusionRVS-guided percutaneous nanoknife ablation has marked clinical effect and high safety in the treatment of LAPC and can be used as a new treatment option for patients who refuse or cannot tolerate laparotomy for ablation therapy.