Even in patients with long-standing atrial fibrillation and an enlarged left atrium, maze procedures concomitant with the novel left atrial volume reduction technique improved the sinus rhythm recovery rate without increasing complications. Although further study with a larger number of patients and a longer follow-up period is needed, this safe and thus far potent technique that catheter-based ablation cannot copy might extend indication of the Cox maze procedure for patients with tough atrial fibrillation.

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Initial palliation with bPAB enables AoV diameter growth in some patients, improving the likelihood of conventional total repair adaptation rate, particularly for CoA or IAA type A.

Infants born with complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) and fetal bradycardia are frequently born with low birth weight. Three low-birth-weight CAVB infants underwent temporary pacemaker implantation, followed by permanent single-chamber pacemaker implantation at median body weights of 1.7 and 3.2 kg, respectively. All infants caught up with their growth curves and had >3 years of estimated residual battery life. This two-stage strategy was successful in facilitating permanent pacemaker implantation in low-birth-weight babies. Placement of single-chamber pacemaker on the apex of the left ventricle appears to be associated with longer battery lifespan.

After pediatric cardiac surgery, patients who undergo delayed sternal closure may become hemodynamically unstable. We performed a staged sternal closure technique using a binder clip in 31 consecutive patients to minimize cardiopulmonary instability. Only one patient (3.2%) died of mediastinitis. Thus, our technique may be safe and minimize cardiopulmonary instability. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12767 (J Card Surg 2016;31:464-466).

We report our technique for thoracoscopic surgery for a 15-year-old female (body weight, 59 kg) diagnosed with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection with dual drainage. A large anomalous right lower pulmonary vein (RLPV) was drained into the inferior vena cava and left atrium, along with thoracoscopic ligation and clipping of RLPV and some anomalous hepatic veins.

A neonate, born after 29 weeks and 2 days gestation (weight 1015 g), was diagnosed with truncus arteriosus and interrupted aortic arch. On postnatal day 30 (1378 g), we performed bilateral pulmonary artery banding. On postnatal day 107 (3024 g), we carried out aortic arch repair and a Rastelli-type procedure. During follow-up, branch pulmonary artery and ascending aortic stenosis was observed. At 15 months, surgical angioplasty of the ascending aorta and bilateral branch pulmonary arteries was undertaken using the Lecompte maneuver.