Despite great progress in engineering functional tissues for organ repair, including the heart, an invasive surgical approach is still required for their implantation. Here, we designed an elastic and microfabricated scaffold using a biodegradable polymer (poly(octamethylene maleate (anhydride) citrate)) for functional tissue delivery via injection. The scaffold's shape memory was due to the microfabricated lattice design. Scaffolds and cardiac patches (1 cm × 1 cm) were delivered through an orifice as small as 1 mm, recovering their initial shape following injection without affecting cardiomyocyte viability and function. In a subcutaneous syngeneic rat model, injection of cardiac patches was equivalent to open surgery when comparing vascularization, macrophage recruitment and cell survival. The patches significantly improved cardiac function following myocardial infarction in a rat, compared with the untreated controls. Successful minimally invasive delivery of human cell-derived patches to the epicardium, aorta and liver in a large-animal (porcine) model was achieved.

Patients with SS have a high overall survival. Survival probability was lower in patients with associated CHDs and in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Surgical treatment of SS is beneficial in reducing symptoms, however, given the significant risk of post-operative scimitar drainage stenosis/occlusion, it should be tailored to a comprehensive haemodynamic evaluation and to the patient's age.

Occurrence of chylothorax following the Fontan operation can be a marker of poorer medium-term clinical outcomes. It is difficult to predict occurrence of chylothorax owing to its multifactorial nature and involvement of lymphatic compensatory capacity that is unmasked only after the Fontan operation.

Smaller upstream or downstream total cross-sectional area indexed for body surface area negatively influenced survival. Early survival seemed especially poor for patients with a greater number of stenotic veins and upstream pulmonary vein involvement. The total cross-sectional area indexed for body surface area measurements can help to inform prognosis and stratify patients for enrollment in clinical trials of agents directed at pulmonary vein pathology.

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Reoperation on the aortic valve is rarely necessary, even late after an ASO, but a significant number of patients do have late aortic regurgitation and continue to need observation.

Primary SL appeared to be associated with a lower incidence and severity of PVO. The primary SL repair eliminated the risk of developing central PVO, although a relatively benign type of peripheral PVO could occur.

Catheterization for pediatric patients on ECMO support can be performed, although this group contained high risk of serious adverse events. The absence of ECMO complications is a predictor for successful weaning. An earlier catheterization appears to be associated with better short-term survival in this cohort. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.