The results of this study suggested that low preoperative fibrinogen level appears to be a useful diagnostic marker to assess the activity of the coagulation system, and that its preoperative level may serve as a potential risk factor for postoperative bleeding after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Elevated IL-6 and hsCRP levels in patients with postoperative AF suggest inflammatory components have a role of in the pathogenesis of AF.

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The presence of CHD, especially in infants with unusual respiratory distress symptoms, should be kept in mind, and echocardiography and/or cardiac catheterization should be considered in the diagnosis. In patients with high pulmonary artery pressure, palliative or corrective surgery for CHD in addition to lobectomy can be considered. We believe that for lesions without high pulmonary artery pressure, such as small atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale, clinical follow-up is sufficient treatment after lobectomy. If the cause of CLE is compression of large ductus arteriosus, only division of the patent ductus arteriosus may be considered before lobectomy and clinical and radiologic follow-up. The cardiac lesion should be assessed as to severity and ease of management. A corrective procedure can be carried out at lobectomy. Because of the technical ease with which the cardiac operation can be performed at the time of lobectomy, we suggest that in addition to lobectomy, operative treatment of cardiac lesions be performed.

An anomalous course of the left brachiocephalic vein behind the aortic arch was identified in a patient with tetralogy of Fallot. A 6-year-old male patient had been admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot and patent foramen ovale. At the beginning of the operation the left brachiocephalic vein could not be found. The pericardium was opened longitudinally and there was no persistent left superior vena cava. After careful examination, the left brachiocephalic vein was found behind the aorta. Especially during open heart surgery this pathology is very important. We conclude that when the left brachiocephalic vein can not be found, the possibility of persistent left superior vena cava and retro-aortic left brachiocephalic vein should be borne in mind.

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Ventricular noncompaction is a rare unclassified cardiomyopathy occurring because of arrest of the normal intrauterine compaction of the loose luminal component of the ventricular myocardium. There is limited data regarding its diagnosis and outcome in children. It is recognised, however, that right ventricular involvement is extremely rare. We report a case in which only the right ventricular myocardium was noncompacted, a situation which led to heart failure soon after birth.

No abstract