Background: Ventricular-arterial coupling is the ratio of arterial elastance to ventricular end-systolic elastance. Aims:The objective of this study was to determine the clinical implication of intraoperative ventricular-arterial coupling derived from the pressure-area relationship using transesophageal echocardiography.Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of 72 pediatric patients with ventricular septal defects who underwent corrective surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The single-beat modified method was used to assess ventricular-arterial coupling. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the correlation between ventricular-arterial coupling and early postoperative outcomes, including the maximum vasoactive-inotropic score, length of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay.Results: Ventricular-arterial coupling after cardiopulmonary bypass significantly increased (from 1.0 ± 0.4 to 1.4 ± 0.8, p < .001), indicating a disproportionate increase in the arterial elastance index (from 11.5 ± 5.1 to 19.8 ± 7.5 mmHg/cm 2 /m 2 , p < .001) compared with the ventricular end-systolic elastance index (from 13.0 ± 6.9 to 16.9 ± 9.0 mmHg/cm 2 /m 2 , p < .001). Logistic regression analyses revealed that high postoperative ventricular-arterial coupling was independently associated with higher postoperative maximum vasoactive-inotropic score (>10; odds ratio [OR], 8.04; 95%

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Structural alterations in the cirrhotic heart may contribute to electromechanical abnormalities, represented by QT prolongation. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in QTc according to the operative stage during pediatric LT and to identify which baseline echocardiographic parameters were associated with intraoperative QTc prolongation. Data were evaluated from 39 children undergoing LT for chronic liver disease (median age 9 months). In 19 patients (48.7%), baseline QTc was prolonged ≥440 ms (462 ± 19 ms). Through the period of post-reperfusion, QTI, QTc, and JTI progressively increased, although values partially recovered toward the end of surgery. High LVMI (≥82.51 g/m ) was associated with baseline QTc ≥ 440 ms (OR = 1.034, P = .032). In the 5 minutes post-reperfusion stage, marked QTc prolongation (defined as QTc ≥ 500 ms; n = 24, 61.5%) was significantly associated with high EDVI (OR = 1.060, P = .027) and SVI (OR = 1.075, P = .026). In children with chronic liver disease, increased ventricular volumes and mass may increase the risk of QTc prolongation during LT, suggesting that repolarization abnormalities might be contributed by structural changes characteristic of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.