SummaryObjectives: To report a surgical strategy for the Norwood procedure in the hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) that enables short hypothermic circulatory arrest time and aortic arch reconstruction with autologous pericardium patch, and to compare the results of the modified Blalock- Taussig Results: In-hospital survival for the entire cohort was 74.64%, or 67.57% and 82.35% for the mBT shunt and RV-PA conduit groups, respectively (p=0.1808). Mortality rates between the first and second palliation stages were 40% and 4.4% for the mBT shunt and RV-PA conduit groups, respectively (p=0.0054). Hypothermic circulatory arrest times were 45.79±1.99 min and 36.62±1.62min (p=0.0012), respectively. Late coarctation of the aorta occurred in five patients (7.2%).Conclusions: This surgical strategy resulted in short circulatory arrest time, low mortality and favorable morphology of the neoaorta, with low incidence of late coarctation of the aorta. The higher rate of survival to first palliation stage with the RV-PA conduit was not significant, but interstage mortality was statistically lower when compared with the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt procedure.

We report the case of a 7-year-old male child diagnosed with Williams-Beuren syndrome and arterial hypertension refractory to clinical treatment. The diagnosis was confirmed by genetic study. Narrowing of the descending aorta and stenosis of the renal arteries were also diagnosed. Systemic vascular alterations caused by deletion of the elastin gene may occur early in individuals with Williams-Beuren syndrome, leading to the clinical manifestation of systemic arterial hypertension refractory to drug treatment.

SummaryBackground: Rejection is one of the major causes of mortality following pediatric heart transplant. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been studied as a method for the diagnosis of acute rejection, especially in adult patients undergoing heart transplant.

Maria de Castro Belluti, minha avó, (in memoriam) pelos exemplos em vida de fé, humildade, amor e dedicação, estimulando precocemente meu interesse pela leitura e pela ciência. Aos meus filhos Clarisse e Vinicius, razão do meu viver, que iluminam os meus dias com os seus sorrisos e me fazem acreditar que vale a pena lutar por um mundo melhor. Aos pacientes transplantados e seus familiares, pelo carinho, confiança e respeito:-vocês me ensinaram o verdadeiro valor da palavra vida; e, aos parentes dos doadores, exemplos de amor e desprendimento, por tornarem possível a continuidade destas nobres vidas.