Search

Backgrounds The pleating technique is widely used in plication but is difficult to perform with thoracoscopy because of its complex procedure and the limited surgical space. Thus, the invaginating technique was introduced to facilitate thoracoscopic surgery and is now widely used in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) plication. However, the usefulness of the invaginating technique in children has not been established because of the lack of data on long-term outcomes after surgery using the technique. Methods From March 2007 to December 2017, 21 patients who were surgically treated for congenital diaphragmatic eventration and phrenic nerve palsy after congenital cardiac surgery were divided into 2 groups according to the surgical method used (pleating technique: 10 patients, invaginating technique: 11 patients). We evaluated the patients for postoperative outcomes and recurrence of diaphragmatic eventration over 5 years. Postoperative recurrence of diaphragmatic eventration was confirmed by calculating the ratio of the eventration level between the eventrated and normal diaphragms. Results In the 21 patients who underwent diaphragmatic plication, the pleating and invaginating techniques were used in 10 and 11 patients, respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 63.4 ± 48.4 months (pleating group [P] vs invaginating group [I]: 89.1 ± 52.4 vs 40.1 ± 30.8 months, p = 0.022). The mean eventration rates in the 21 patients was 26.7% ± 9.1% (P vs I: 26.6% ± 6.1% vs 26.9% ± 11.3%, p = 0.945) before operation and − 2.1% ± 7.3% (− 2.8% ± 7.5% vs − 1.5% ± 7.4%, p = 0.695) in the immediate postoperative period. From the first to the fifth postoperative year, no recurrence of diaphragmatic eventration was found in any of the groups during the follow-up. Conclusions The invaginating technique was easier to perform but showed a similar long-term result as compared with the pleating technique in terms of the growth and development of the chest cavity in the pediatric patients in this study. Thus, we recommend that the invaginating technique be applied in VATS plication for children as an alternative to the pleating technique. Level of evidence Level III.

To estimate the cost-effectiveness and value of information of cabozantinib compared to nivolumab in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients, who previously failed treatment from a societal perspective in South Korea. A partitioned survival model was used to evaluate the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of cabozantinib versus nivolumab. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) curves were obtained from a network meta-analysis that included METEOR and CheckMate 025 trial results. Utility values for health states and adverse events were estimated based on the EQ-5D-5L data of METEOR trial with a Korean-specific tariff. Costs were estimated by a micro-costing approach using healthcare claims data and expert consultation. The impact of uncertainties in the model were explored by scenario analyses, and deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. The expected value of perfect information (EVPI) was estimated to assess the value of future research to decrease decision uncertainty. Compared to nivolumab, cabozantinib was associated with improved OS, PFS, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at greater cost. The ICUR was $34,445 per QALY. In sensitivity analysis, drug costs had the greatest influence on the ICUR. Cabozantinib had a 68.0% probability of being cost-effective at a threshold of 2 times gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The population EVPI was $82.6 million at 2 GDP threshold. Cabozantinib was found to be cost-effective for advanced RCC patients after failure of prior therapy at a 2 GDP threshold. Future research that costs less than the estimated population EVPI would be worth considering for a comparison of cabozantinib and nivolumab.

Background The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued a safety letter regarding metoclopramide use and its adverse drug event of extrapyramidal disorder in October 2013. However, this safety letter had controversial effects on pharmacovigilance and management policies. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of this government safety letter on the use of metoclopramide. Patients and methods We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis using national claims data from January 2011 to December 2015 to assess the difference in metoclopramide utilization (ie, the total number of prescriptions per month, the average administration period per prescription per month, and the average dose per prescription per month) before and after the publication of the safety letter in October 2013. Results The number of prescriptions, the average administration period per prescription, and the average dose per prescription of metoclopramide decreased after the publication of the safety letter. Notably, the decrease in the average administration period per prescription after the safety letter was statistically significant. Conclusion Our results indicate that the changes in the number of prescriptions, dose, and the duration of prescription may have occurred as a result of the restrictions and recommendations in the safety letter. Further research is needed to optimize the use of metoclopramide and to identify the risk of adverse drug events since the safety letter was issued.

The psoas-to-lumbar index (PLVI) has been reported as a simple and easy way to measure central sarcopenia. However, only few studies have evaluated the association between PLVI and survival in surgical patients. This study evaluated the association between preoperative PLVI and mortality in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 615 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery between January 2014 and December 2018. The median value of each PLVI was calculated according to sex, and the patients were categorized into two groups on the basis of the median value (low PLVI group vs. high PLVI group). Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for 1 year and overall mortalities. The median values of PLVI were 0.62 and 0.50 in men and women, respectively. In the Cox regression analysis, low PLVI was significantly associated with higher 1 year (hazard ratio (HR): 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18–2.96, p = 0.008) and overall mortalities (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.12–2.03, p = 0.006). Low PLVI was significantly associated with a higher mortality. Therefore, PLVI might be an independent predictor of mortality in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the cost-utility of reslizumab for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma uncontrolled with high-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-agonists (I...

Coronary reimplantation after neoaortic reconstruction (CRANR) in the arterial switch operation (ASO) allows easy selection of accurate coronary transfer sites in the distended neoaorta. However, neoaortic valve injury may occur during coronary reimplantation. We determined whether the CRANR procedure increased the incidence of aortic valve regurgitation (AR) after ASO. Between March 1994 and August 2017, 227 patients underwent ASO. Since September 2000 CRANR has been performed on 155 patients and open coronary reimplantation (OCR) on 72. Patients who had undergone aortocoronary flaps procedures (n = 13), had early or late mortality (n = 27), or lacked data (n = 11) were excluded. We enrolled and retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 176 patients who were followed up for postoperative AR: 38 underwent OCR and 138 underwent CRANR. We compared the incidences of early and late postoperative AR in both groups. We defined mild or greater AR as "significant AR." The groups did not differ in body weight at operation, great artery relationship, and coronary artery anatomy. The incidences of significant AR at discharge were 21.1% (8/38) in the OCR group and 16.6% (23/138) in the CRANR group (p = 0.53). The freedom from significant AR at 5 years was 59.9% in the OCR group and 62.4% in the CRANR group with no difference between the two groups (p = 0.73). Moderate AR occurred in one patient in the CRANR group. No surgical intervention was required for the aortic valve in either group. ASO using the CRANR technique did not increase the incidence of postoperative early and late AR.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) for management of pain during and after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of hepatic tumor. Materials and Methods All patients were divided into non-TPVB (4 patients, 4 sessions of RFA for 4 tumors) and TPVB group (5 patients, 7 sessions of RFAs for 7 tumors). Ultrasound (US)-guided TPVB was performed at T7 level. The 15 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine was injected into right paravertebral space before RFA. If patients complained pain and asked analgesics or experienced pain with verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) of more than 4, fentanyl 25 µg (up to 100 µg), pethidine 25 mg, and midazolam 0.05 mg/kg (up to 5 mg) were sequentially given intravenously during RFA. Results Total intravenous morphine equivalence of analgesics before, during, and after RFA was 129.1 mg and 0.0 mg in non-TPVB and TPVB group, respectively. Conclusion US-guided TPVB may be an effective and safe anesthetic method for decreasing or eliminating pain during and after RFA for hepatic tumor and helpful in decreasing the usage of opioids.

Background: Left pulmonary vein (PV) obstruction can occur due to compression between the left atrium (LA) and the descending aorta (DA). One of the effective solutions for this problem is posterior aortopexy. In this study, we have reported five cases of posterior aortopexy to relieve left PV obstruction between the LA and the DA. Methods: Since August 2012, five patients have undergone posterior aortopexy for compression of the left PV between the LA and the DA. The median age and weight of the patients at the time of operation were 5.5 months (range, 1-131 months) and 5.2 kg (range, 4.2-29.5 kg), respectively. The left PV obstruction was initially diagnosed on echocardiography in four patients and computed tomography angiography in one patient. The median peak pressure gradient across the obstructed left PV was 7.3 mmHg (range, 4-20 mmHg). Concomitant procedures were ventricular septal defect closure in one patient and patent ductus arteriosus ligation in one patient. Results: There was no PV obstruction on echocardiography in any of the patients after the operation except in the case of one patient who had diffuse pulmonary vein stenosis. The median follow-up duration was 34 months (range, 14-89 months), and during follow-up no incidence of the left PV obstruction was observed in any of the surviving patients. Conclusions: The posterior aortopexy technique could be a good surgical option for the left PV obstruction caused by compression between the LA and the anteriorly positioned DA.

Noninvasive continuous arterial pressure monitoring may be clinically useful in patients who require continuous blood pressure monitoring in situations where arterial catheter placement is limited. Many previous studies on the accuracy of the noninvasive continuous blood pressure monitoring method reported various results. However, there is no research on the effectiveness of noninvasive arterial pressure monitoring during one-lung ventilation. The purpose of this study was to compare arterial blood pressure obtained through invasive method and noninvasive method by using ClearSight during one-lung ventilation. In this retrospective observational study, a total of 26 patients undergoing one-lung ventilation for thoracic surgery at a single institution between March and July 2019 were recruited. All patients in this study were cannulated on their radial artery to measure continuously invasive blood pressures and applied ClearSight on the ipsilateral side of the cannulated arm. We compared and analyzed the agreement and trendability of blood pressure recorded with invasive and noninvasive methods during one-lung ventilation. Blood pressure and pulse rate showed a narrower limit of agreement with a percentage error value of around 30%. In addition, the tracking ability of each measurement could be determined by the concordance rate, all of which were below acceptable limits (92%). In noninvasive arterial blood pressure monitoring using ClearSight, mean blood pressure and pulse rate show acceptable agreement with the invasive method.

At centers with pressure on rapid operating room turnover, onset time is one of the important considerations for choosing a local anesthetic drug. To hasten the onset of the block, higher concentrations of local anesthetics are sometimes used. However, the use of diluted local anesthetics may be safer. Therefore, we aimed to compare the onset times of equipotential levobupivacaine and ropivacaine at low concentrations for infraclavicular brachial plexus block. Adult patients undergoing upper extremity surgery under ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block at our center were randomly allocated to the levobupivacaine and ropivacaine groups. Infraclavicular brachial plexus block was induced with 0.25% levobupivacaine or 0.375% ropivacaine depending on the assigned group. The degrees of sensory and motor blockade were assessed for 40 min after the administration of local anesthetics. A total of 46 patients were included in the analysis. Infraclavicular brachial plexus block with 0.25% levobupivacaine and 0.375% ropivacaine provided sufficient surgical anesthesia. The sensory onset time of 0.375% ropivacaine was shorter than that of 0.25% levobupivacaine (group R, 15 [15.0–22.5] min; group L, 30 [17.5–35.0] min, p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in other block characteristics and clinical outcomes between the two groups. Thus, when a quicker block onset is required, 0.375% ropivacaine is a better choice than 0.25% levobupivacaine.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03679897).

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many guidelines have recommended postponing non-emergency operations. However, cesarean sections cannot be indefinitely delayed. Our institution has established a COVID-19 screening strategy for patients undergoing cesarean section. We evaluated the usefulness of this screening strategy. Parturients undergoing cesarean section at our center during the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak were retrospectively analyzed. Each parturient underwent a questionnaire survey evaluating epidemiological correlation and symptoms at admission. Reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) testing and/or chest radiography were performed. In total, 296 parturients underwent cesarean section. All elective and 37 emergency cesarean sections were performed in general operating rooms because they were considered to have a low risk of COVID-19 infection through the screening process. However, 42 emergency cases were performed in negative-pressure operating rooms with full personal protective equipment (PPE) because the RT–PCR results could not be confirmed in a timely manner. None of them were positive for RT–PCR, and there were no cases of nosocomial infection. A comprehensive preoperative screening strategy, including symptomatic and epidemiological correlation, PCR, and/or imaging test, should be performed in patients undergoing cesarian section. Further, cesarean sections in parturients with unconfirmed COVID-19 status should be performed in a negative-pressure operating room with appropriate PPE.

Cervical facet joint (CFJ) syndrome is a common cause of neck pain. For its diagnosis and treatment, CFJ injection with arthrogram is generally performed. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of extra-CFJ flow on CFJ arthrograms during injections and its differences according to age, sex, and cervical vertebral level. We analyzed 760 CFJ arthrograms administrated to 208 patients diagnosed with CFJ syndrome. Arthrograms at each vertebral level were collected to evaluate the normal CFJ and extra-CFJ flow. The primary and secondary outcomes were frequency of extra-CFJ flow according to cervical vertebral level, age, and sex and according to pairwise cervical levels, respectively. Extra-CFJ flow at the cervical spine occurred during 179 injections, and the overall incidence was 3.3&ndash, 36.2% at different cervical levels. The incidence of extra-CFJ flow at each cervical vertebral level according to age and sex was not significant. Extra-CFJ flow was the highest at C6 and C7, but there was no statistical significance. Extra-CFJ flow was higher at lower vertebral levels (C5&ndash, C7) than at upper levels (C3 and C4). Additional clinical studies and anatomical evaluations are needed to support its clinical value and enable the development of new injection techniques.

We developed a modified Senning procedure in the double-switch operation for the patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA). In our technique, the right atrial (RA) free wall is not used as a baffle for draining systemic venous blood to the left atrium. Instead, a patch material is used for the baffling. A wide communication between the pulmonary venous chamber and RA is created by making the triangular double door with the RA-free wall, and the window is closed with in situ pericardial flap. We have successfully adopted this technique in our recent two consecutive ccTGA patients.

The aims of this study were to investigate the current clinical practice of ultrasound (US)-guided stellate ganglion block (SGB) using a bi-national survey of Korea and Japan, and to clarify the anatomical relation of the cervical sympathetic trunk with the prevertebral fascia at the level of cervical vertebrae. The current clinical practice of US-guided SGB in Korea and Japan was investigated using an Internet survey, which received 206 (10.2%) replies from Korea and 97 (8.8%) replies from Japan. The survey questionnaire addressed the actual clinical practice for US-guided SGB, including where the tip of the injection needle is placed. Additionally, 16 half necks of 8 embalmed cadavers were used in an anatomical study. An in-plane needle approach technique and administering 5 ml of local anesthetic were preferred in both countries. However, the type of local anesthetic differed, being lidocaine in Korea and mepivacaine in Japan. The final position of the needle tip also clearly differed in an US image, being predominantly positioned above the prevertebral fascia in Korea (39.3%) and under the prevertebral fascia in Japan (59.8%). In all of the anatomic dissections, the cervical sympathetic trunk was over the prevertebral fascia at the level of the sixth vertebra and under the prevertebral fascia at the level of the seventh vertebra. These results are expected to improve the knowledge on the current clinical practice and to suggest future studies.

We used a suture-and-open technique with a biatrial incision for primary sutureless repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). With this technique, the common pulmonary venous sinus and its branching pulmonary veins are opened after completion of suturing of the left atrial incision to the pericardium around the common pulmonary venous sinus and its branching veins. The technique allows the primary sutureless repair of TAPVC to be done in a less bloody field under full-flow cardiopulmonary bypass. We have performed this technique in our recent 5 consecutive TAPVC patients without significant complications.

We report a case of successful repair of truncus arteriosus (TA) associated with complete atrioventricular septal defect (c-AVSD) using a staged approach. TA associated with c-AVSD is a very rare congenital cardiac anomaly. No report of successful staged repair in South Korea has yet been published. We performed bilateral pulmonary artery banding when the patient was 33 days old, and total correction using an extracardiac conduit was performed at the age of 18 months. The patient recovered uneventfully and is doing well.

Objectives We adopted an operative technique of pulmonary valve (PV) annular enlargement with valve repair in tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) correction to reduce postoperative pulmonary regurgitation (PR) 16 years ago. Here, we have evaluated the long-term results. Methods Between April 2000 and August 2005, 43 patients (26 men) with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary stenosis underwent PV annular enlargement with valve repair. The median age and body weight at the time of surgery were 14 months and 10.2 kg, respectively. Results There was no operative mortality. Mean postoperative PR grade at discharge was 0.93 ± 0.40 (none or trivial in 10 patients, mild in 27 patients, mild to moderate in 5 patients and moderate in 1 patient), and the mean postoperative pressure gradient across PV was 13.0 ± 10.9 mmHg. The mean follow-up duration was 131.9 ± 42.9 months. During follow-up, 1 reoperation was performed for residual ventricular septal defect. The mean PR grade at the last follow-up echocardiography was 1.59 ± 0.60 (mild in 17 patients, mild to moderate in 8 patients, moderate in 14 patients, moderate to severe in 1 patient and severe in 3 patients), and the mean pressure gradient was 22.7 ± 9.9 mmHg. We have compared the incidence of moderate or more PR with the incidence of patients who underwent simple transannular patch enlargement through propensity score matching. The PV repair group had a lower incidence of moderate or more PR compared with the simple transannular patch group (40% vs 68%, P = 0.04). Conclusions PV annular enlargement with valve repair has reasonable long-term results and yields a lower long-term incidence of significant PR compared with the simple transannular patch enlargement technique.

The dawn of a new era in knowledge management due to information explosion is making old habits of modeling knowledge and decision-making inadequate. In the search for new modeling paradigms, we expect ontologies to play a big role. One of the critical challenges we face is the scarcity of semantically rich, properly populated, ontologies in most application domains in chemical and materials engineering. Developing such ontologies is a very challenging task requiring considerable investment in time, effort, and expert knowledge. One needs automation tools that can assist an ontology engineer to quickly develop and curate domain-specific ontologies. We consider our conceptual framework in this paper, a general approach for populating scientific ontologies, and its implementation as the prototype HOLMES, as an early attempt towards such an automated knowledge management environment. Our approach integrates a variety of machine learning and natural language processing methods to extract information from journal articles and store them semantically in an ontology. In this work, identification of key terms (such as chemicals, drugs, processes, anatomical entities, etc.) from abstracts, and the classification of these terms into 25 classes are presented. Two methods, a multi-class classifier (SVM) and a multi-label classifier (HOMER), were tested on an annotated data set for the pharmaceutical industry. The test was done using two different versions of the same data set, one using the BIO notation and the other not. The F1 scores for HOMER, were better in the BIO notation (63.6% vs 48.5%) while SVM performed better in the non-BIO version (54.1% vs 53.2%). However, the standard metrics did not consider the effect of the multiple answers that the multi-label classifier is allowed to obtain. As the results of our computational experiments show, while the performance of multi-label classifier is encouraging, much more remains to be done in order to develop a practically viable automated ontology-based knowledge management system.

Binocular mechanisms for visual processing are thought to enhance spatial acuity by combining matched input from the two eyes. Studies in the primary visual cortex of carnivores and primates have confirmed that eye-specific neuronal response properties are largely matched. In recent years, the mouse has emerged as a prominent model for binocular visual processing, yet little is known about the spatial frequency tuning of binocular responses in mouse visual cortex. Using calcium imaging in awake mice of both sexes, we show that the spatial frequency preference of cortical responses to the contralateral eye is ∼35% higher than responses to the ipsilateral eye. Furthermore, we find that neurons in binocular visual cortex that respond only to the contralateral eye are tuned to higher spatial frequencies. Binocular neurons that are well matched in spatial frequency preference are also matched in orientation preference. In contrast, we observe that binocularly mismatched cells are more mismatched in orientation tuning. Furthermore, we find that contralateral responses are more direction-selective than ipsilateral responses and are strongly biased to the cardinal directions. The contralateral bias of high spatial frequency tuning was found in both awake and anesthetized recordings. The distinct properties of contralateral cortical responses may reflect the functional segregation of direction-selective, high spatial frequency-preferring neurons in earlier stages of the central visual pathway. Moreover, these results suggest that the development of binocularity and visual acuity may engage distinct circuits in the mouse visual system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTSeeing through two eyes is thought to improve visual acuity by enhancing sensitivity to fine edges. Using calcium imaging of cellular responses in awake mice, we find surprising asymmetries in the spatial processing of eye-specific visual input in binocular primary visual cortex. The contralateral visual pathway is tuned to higher spatial frequencies than the ipsilateral pathway. At the highest spatial frequencies, the contralateral pathway strongly prefers to respond to visual stimuli along the cardinal (horizontal and vertical) axes. These results suggest that monocular, and not binocular, mechanisms set the limit of spatial acuity in mice. Furthermore, they suggest that the development of visual acuity and binocularity in mice involves different circuits.

A selective regional cerebral perfusion has been widely adopted for brain protection in neonatal or infant aortic arch surgeries. The anastomosis of the small polytetrafluoroethylene tube graft to the innominate artery has been used for the selective regional cerebral perfusion in many institutions. We have developed a specially designed cannula tip that allows bidirectional blood flow and provides secure positioning of the polytetrafluoroethylene tube graft at the innominate artery. Innominate artery cannulation using this device reduces arterial clamping time and permits us to perform the arterial cannulation in a much easier and secure manner.

OBJECTIVES We aimed to identify the optimal lower limb position for an ultrasound (US)-guided anterior approach to a sciatic nerve block. METHODS We included 45 patients who met the following criteria: American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 1 to 3, age between 18 and 80 years, and scheduled to undergo knee surgery that required a sciatic nerve block. The lower limbs of each patient were placed in the following 4 positions: N, neutral; ER, external rotation of the hip (angle, 45°); ER/F15, ER (angle, 45°) and flexion (angle, 15°) of the hip; and ER/F45, ER (angle, 45°) and F (angle, 45°) of the hip. An investigator acquired US scans of the sciatic nerve in each position, and the visibility score and depth of the sciatic nerve from the skin were analyzed. RESULTS The visibility scores were significantly higher in positions ER/F15 and ER/F45 than in positions ER and N (P

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) and drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) are the major diseases of parkinsonism. To better understand parkinsonism, we aimed to assess the prevalence and incidence of PD and DIP in Korea from 2012 to 2015. Methods We used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database, which covers the entire population in Korea. We used claims during 2011–2015 to assess epidemiology of PD and DIP during 2012–2015. Retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed to assess prevalence, whereas retrospective cohort study design was used to determine incidence. Patients with at least one claim with ICD-10 G20 and who received antiparkinsonian drugs for at least 60 days were classified as having PD. We excluded patients with antiparkinsonian drugs that can be used for indications other than PD. Patients with at least one claim with ICD-10 G211 or G251 during the prescription period of drugs that are frequently related with DIP were classified as having DIP. Incident cases had a disease-free period of 1 year before diagnosis. To evaluate the significance of changes in the prevalence or incidence over time, Poisson regression was used to determine p for trend. Results The prevalence of PD increased from 156.9 per 100,000 persons in 2012 to 181.3 per 100,000 persons in 2015 (p for trendp for trendp for trendp for trend Conclusions Our study suggests that the incidence of PD has gradually decreased whereas, the incidence of DIP increased from 2012 to 2015. Further studies are warranted to examine possible causes of increased DIP incidence in order to develop management strategy for parkinsonism.

Background Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of death in Korea. According to a report of published by Statistics Korea in 2014, cerebrovascular disease and cardiovascular disease were the major/leading causes of mortality. However, it is more difficult to identify prevalence and incidence of a disease than the mortality owing to the lack of national-level statistics. Few studies have examined the prevalence and incidence of ASCVD and its risk factors since 2012. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of ASCVD and its risk factors in Korea using national claims data. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis using the national claims data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Patients aged ≥18 years with ASCVD (defined as myocardial infarction, angina, coronary revascularization, peripheral artery disease, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack) were identified between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015. Patients at high risk for ASCVD (defined as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia without ASCVD during the baseline period) were identified between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. We estimated the prevalence, cumulative incidence, and incidence density. These were further stratified by age and sex. The respective denominators for prevalence and incidence were the census population and the at-risk population (defined as the population without respective disease 1 year prior to the respective disease identification). Results Among the included Korean adult patients, the overall prevalence of clinical ASCVD per 1000 individuals was 98.25 in 2014 and 101.11 in 2015. The respective cumulative incidence and incidence density rates of ASCVD per 1000 individuals were 65.30 and 68.03 in 2014, and 67.05 and 69.94 in 2015, respectively. Peripheral artery disease seemed to drive the increase in the total prevalence and incidence of ASCVD. The prevalence and incidence of ASCVD continued to increase with age until 79 years. Conclusions This national population-based study confirmed the high prevalence and incidence of ASCVD and its risk factors in the adult population of South Korea. We suggest that more intensive treatment and prevention are needed to prevent ASCVD. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7439-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Study objective Evidence suggests that administering appropriate volumes of perioperative fluid replacement therapies can decrease the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). However, the relative effects of colloids and crystalloids on PONV are still unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to determine whether administering colloids to adults undergoing noncardiac surgery significantly reduces PONV incidence and rescue antiemetic use, compared with administering crystalloids. Design This study has been registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42016036174). We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared the incidence of PONV and rescue antiemetic use in surgical patients randomized to receive colloid or crystalloid fluids. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was explored through I2 statistics. Patients Nine randomized trials that included a total of 843 surgical patients met the inclusion criteria. Measurements The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of overall PONV. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of postoperative nausea (PON), postoperative vomiting (POV), and rescue antiemetic use. Main results Compared with crystalloid fluids, perioperative colloid administration did not reduce the incidence of overall PONV (RR 0.802; 95% CI: 0.561, 1.145; I2 = 57.168%). However, the colloid infusion group (RR 0.625; 95% CI: 0.440, 0.888) had reduced PONV compared with the crystalloid infusion group (RR 1.244; 95% CI: 0.742, 2.085), in the subgroup with anesthesia duration >3 h and who underwent major surgery. Meta-regression analysis also showed that the slope was significant (p = 0.04215) for duration of anesthesia. Conclusions Colloid administration reduced the incidence of PONV in adults undergoing elective, noncardiac, major surgery under general anesthesia for >3 h. However, clinical studies performed in larger cohorts are required to determine the impact of colloids on PONV.

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) are resident stem cells present in a small portion of ischemic hearts and function in repairing the damaged heart tissue. Intense oxidative stress impairs cell metabolism thereby decreasing cell viability. Protecting CPCs from undergoing cellular apoptosis during oxidative stress is crucial in optimizing CPC-based therapy. Histochrome (sodium salt of echinochrome A&mdash, a common sea urchin pigment) is an antioxidant drug that has been clinically used as a pharmacologic agent for ischemia/reperfusion injury in Russia. However, the mechanistic effect of histochrome on CPCs has never been reported. We investigated the protective effect of histochrome pretreatment on human CPCs (hCPCs) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress. Annexin V/7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) assay revealed that histochrome-treated CPCs showed significant protective effects against H2O2-induced cell death. The anti-apoptotic proteins B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-xL were significantly upregulated, whereas the pro-apoptotic proteins BCL2-associated X (Bax), H2O2-induced cleaved caspase-3, and the DNA damage marker, phosphorylated histone (&gamma, H2A.X) foci, were significantly downregulated upon histochrome treatment of hCPCs in vitro. Further, prolonged incubation with histochrome alleviated the replicative cellular senescence of hCPCs. In conclusion, we report the protective effect of histochrome against oxidative stress and present the use of a potent and bio-safe cell priming agent as a potential therapeutic strategy in patient-derived hCPCs to treat heart disease.

Recent studies have reported the advantages of spinal anesthesia over general anesthesia in orthopedic patients. However, little is known about the relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and anesthetic technique. This study aimed to identify the influence of anesthetic technique on AKI in TKA patients. We also evaluated whether the choice of anesthetic technique affected other clinical outcomes. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who underwent TKA between January 2008 and August 2016. Perioperative data were obtained and analyzed. To reduce the influence of potential confounding factors, propensity score (PS) analysis was performed. A total of 2809 patients and 2987 cases of TKA were included in this study. A crude analysis of the total set demonstrated a significantly lower risk of AKI in the spinal anesthesia group. After PS matching, the spinal anesthesia group showed a tendency for reduced AKI, without statistical significance. Furthermore, the spinal anesthesia group showed a lower risk of pulmonary and vascular complications, and shortened hospital stay after PS matching. In TKA patients, spinal anesthesia had a tendency to reduce AKI. Moreover, spinal anesthesia not only reduced vascular and pulmonary complications, but also shortened hospital stay.

방사선 검사로 환자의 병을 진단하기 위해서는 방사선 피폭이 따르게 된다. 최소한의 피폭으로 병변을 진단하는 일반촬영에 이중 엑스선 에너지 기법의 임상적용 가능성을 SNR 및 화질 점수화의 지표로 조사하였다. 이중 엑스선 에너지 기법은 검출기로 사용되는 두 개의 Image Plate 사이에 0.5 mm 두께의 Cu와 Al 필터를 추가함으로써 구현하였다. 한...

The recently introduced pectoral nerve (Pecs) block is a simple alterative to the conventional thoracic paravertebral block or epidural block for breast surgery. It produces excellent analgesia and can be used to provide balanced anesthesia and as a rescue block in cases where performing a neuraxial blockade is not possible. In the thoracic region, a neuraxial blockade is often used to manage zoster-associated pain. However, this can be challenging for physicians due to the increased risk of hemodynamic instability in the upper thoracic level, and comorbid and contraindicated medical conditions such as coagulopathy. Here, we introduce an ultrasound-guided Pecs block for the management of herpes zoster-associated pain, which could be an effective alternative to other interventional options in the thoracic region.

Objectives We investigated the effect of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (BPV) as a palliative procedure for patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Methods This was a retrospective single-center study conducted between 2008 and 2014. We classified patients into three groups according to palliation: treatment with BPV (group I), with a Blalock–Taussig shunt (group II), and with infundibulectomy (group III). The growth of the pulmonary valve (PV) annulus and need for transannular patching (TAP) during total correction were compared between groups. Results Forty-eight patients were enrolled: 31, 10, and 7 in groups I, II, and III, respectively. The mean ages at palliation were 26.3 ± 23.6, 21.5 ± 16.4, and 15.2 ± 4.2 days in groups I, II, and III, respectively (P = .867). The success rate of BPV was 90.3%. The initial PV z-score before palliation did not differ between groups I, II, and III (−3.14 ± 1.44, −3.84 ± 1.47, and −3.71 ± 1.68; P = .494); the preoperative PV z-score before total correction was larger in group I than in group II (−1.19 ± 1.14 and −3.05 ± 1.19; P = .001), and also larger in group III than in group II (group III: −1.10 ± 0.90; P = .003). The change in pulse oxygen saturation differed significantly between the three groups (P = .031), particularly between groups I and II (P = .010), and the change in PV z-score was greater in groups I and III than in group II (P

Pseudoaneurysm in the left ventricular outflow tract is a rare complication occurring after cardiac surgery. We report on the successful percutaneous device closure of a pseudoaneurysm in the left ventricular outflow tract, which developed in a 23-month-old girl after resection of a subaortic ridge. The pseudoaneurysm was closed using an Amplatzer Vascular Plug II.

In tetralogy of Fallot, whether relieving right ventricular outflow tract obstruction requires transannular patch enlargement (TAPE) of the pulmonary valve depends on pulmonary valvular annulus size. The z-score of pulmonary annulus is most commonly used as a predictor of the need for TAPE. However, the z-score is a complex value affected by height, body weight, body surface area, and different reference populations. Therefore, we hypothesized that the great artery annulus size ratio (pulmonary valvular annulus size to aortic valve annuls size [GA ratio]) may be a better predictor of the need for TAPE.We analyzed 122 patients retrospectively who had undergone total correction of tetralogy of Fallot between January 2007 and March 2015. We categorized the patients into two groups, TAPE versus non-TAPE. Great arterial annuli sizes were evaluated in each group, and the GA ratio cutoff values for TAPE were calculated.In total, 40 patients (32.8%) required TAPE. Both GA ratios and z-scores were smaller in the TAPE group than in the non-TAPE group (0.51 versus 0.67, p0.0001, and -2.46 versus -0.85, p0.0001, respectively). In receiver operating characteristics analyses, the z-score and GA ratio cutoff values were -1.67 (area under the curve = 0.797) and 0.56 (area under the curve = 0.900), respectively, demonstrating that the GA ratio was a more powerful diagnostic tool as a predictor of TAPE (p = 0.014).Our results suggest that the GA ratio is a useful predictor for TAPE and can be applied readily and simply in clinical practice.

Cervical plexus blocks (CPBs) have been used in various head and neck surgeries to provide adequate anesthesia and/or analgesia; however, the block is performed in a narrow space in the region of the neck that contains many sensitive structures, multiple fascial layers, and complicated innervation. Since the intermediate CPB was introduced in addition to superficial and deep CPBs in 2004, there has been some confusion regarding the nomenclature and definition of CPBs, particularly the intermediate CPB. Additionally, as the role of ultrasound in the head and neck region has expanded, CPBs can be performed more safely and accurately under ultrasound guidance. In this review, the authors will describe the methods, including ultrasound-guided techniques, and clinical applications of conventional deep and superficial CPBs; in addition, the authors will discuss the controversial issues regarding intermediate CPBs, including nomenclature and associated potential adverse effects that may often be neglected, focusing on the anatomy of the cervical fascial layers and cervical plexus. Finally, the authors will attempt to refine the classification of CPB methods based on the target compartments, which can be easily identified under ultrasound guidance, with consideration of the effects of each method of CPB.

Background and aim to read We report the results of a bicuspid expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) valved conduit used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction (RVOTR). Methods Between November 2005 and February 2009, 12 conduits were used for RVOTR. The mean age and weight of patients were 43.5 ± 46.4 months and 13.4 ± 8.6 kg. The main diagnosis was tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia in eight patients. The most common conduit size was 18 mm. The mean follow-up was 88.0 ± 35.9 months. Results There were no operative and late mortalities. At discharge, the mean peak systolic pressure gradient across the RVOT was 14.1 ± 11.3 mmHg. There was no conduit valve regurgitation in nine patients. At the latest echocardiography (mean follow-up: 84.3 ± 35.5 months), the mean peak systolic pressure gradient across the RVOT was 59.7 ± 20.2 mmHg, and there was no conduit valve regurgitation in six patients. Freedom from conduit malfunction was 100% and 83.3%, at 1 and 8 years, respectively. Two conduits were explanted due to sternal compression and four from conduit malfunction. Freedom from explantation was 83.3% and 74.2% at 2 and 8 years, respectively. Conclusions ePTFE bicuspid valved conduit has good late function in terms of valve regurgitation, but the pressure gradient across the conduit increases with time, which is the main cause of conduit failure and explantation.

Purpose We aimed to study the utilization patterns of lipid-lowering treatment (LLT), including treatment modification, adherence, and possible statin intolerance, in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or diabetes using national claims data in South Korea. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service claims database. Patients aged ≥18 years with >1 outpatient pharmacy claim for a statin and/or ezetimibe dated January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2014, were identified and categorized into the following cohorts: patients with ASCVD, and patients with diabetes mellitus without ASCVD. LLT modification, adherence to index LLT, and possible statin intolerance were explored during the 12 months after the date of first prescription for a statin and/or ezetimibe. Findings Among 1,399,872 patients who met the eligibility criteria, 807,547 (57.7%) were patients with ASCVD and 592,325 (42.3%) were patients with diabetes without ASCVD. About half of the patients had no modification in their index treatment (46.2% in the ASCVD cohort and 48.9% in the diabetes cohort), and the most common modification was permanent discontinuation (19.6% in the ASCVD cohort and 21.4% in the diabetes cohort). The mean medication possession ratios were 0.77 in the ASCVD cohort and 0.73 in the diabetes cohort and showed a decreasing trend during the 12-month follow-up period. Among patients who initiated a statin and/or ezetimibe, possible statin intolerance was observed in 53,921 patients (6.7%) in the ASCVD cohort and 42,172 patients (7.1%) in the diabetes cohort. Implications In South Korea, a high rate of permanent discontinuation of statin therapy in patients with ASCVD or diabetes places these patients at high risk for cardiovascular events in the future. A decreasing trend of adherence to LLT implies that more intensive education and management are required to improve therapeutic effect and reduce the risk for ASCVD. The high rate of possible statin intolerance highlights an unmet need in the prevention and management of ASCVD in South Korea.

The surgical management of transposition complex with aortic arch obstruction remains technically demanding due to anatomic complexity. Even in the recent surgical era, there are centers that address this anomaly with a staged strategy. This report presents our experiences with a one-stage repair of transposition complexes with aortic arch obstructions more than the last 10 years. Since 2003, 19 patients with a transposition of the great arteries (TGA, 2 patients) or a double outlet of the right ventricle (DORV, 17 patients) and aortic arch obstruction have undergone one-stage repair of their anomalies. The mean age was 6.7 ± 2.3 days, and the mean body weight was 3.4 ± 0.3 kg. The 2 patients with TGA exhibited coarctation of the aorta. The 17 patients with DORV all exhibited the Taussig–Bing type. The great artery relationships were anteroposterior in 4 patients (21.1 %). The coronary artery anatomies were usual (1LCx; 2R) in 8 patients (42.1 %). There were 2 early deaths (10.5 %). Seven patients (36.8 %) required percutaneous interventions. One patient required re-operation for pulmonary valvar stenosis and left pulmonary artery patch angioplasty. The overall survival was 84.2 %. The freedom from mortality was 83.5 % at 5 years, and the freedom from intervention was 54.4 % at 5 years. The one-stage repair of transposition complexes with aortic arch obstructions resulted in an acceptable survival rate and a relatively high incidence of postoperative catheter interventions. Postoperative catheter interventions are highly effective. Transposition complexes combined with aortic arch obstructions can be managed by one-stage repair with good early and midterm results.

Background Recently, the use of ultrasound (US) techniques in regional anesthesia and pain medicine has increased significantly. However, the current extent of training in the use of US-guided pain management procedures in Korea remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to assess the current state of US training provided during Korean Pain Society (KPS) pain fellowship programs through the comparative analysis between training hospitals. Methods We conducted an anonymous survey of 51 pain physicians who had completed KPS fellowships in 2017. Items pertained to current US practices and education, as well as the types of techniques and amount of experience with US-guided pain management procedures. Responses were compared based on the tier of the training hospital. Results Among the 51 respondents, 14 received training at first- and second-tier hospitals (Group A), while 37 received training at third-tier hospitals (Group B). The mean total duration of pain training during the 1-year fellowship was 7.4 months in Group A and 8.4 months in Group B. Our analysis revealed that 36% and 40% of respondents in Groups A and B received dedicated US training, respectively. Most respondents underwent US training in patient-care settings under the supervision of attending physicians. Cervical root, stellate ganglion, piriformis, and lumbar plexus blocks were more commonly performed by Group B than by Group A (P < 0.05). Conclusions Instruction regarding US-guided pain management interventions varied among fellowship training hospitals, highlighting the need for the development of educational standards that mandate a minimum number of US-guided nerve blocks or injections during fellowships in interventional pain management.

Although BRAF inhibitors have been used to treat advanced melanoma with BRAF mutation, combination strategies are suggested due to acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors.To assess the efficacy of BRAF inhibitor-based combination therapy for the treatment of advanced melanoma with BRAF mutation.We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared BRAF inhibitor-based combination therapy with BRAF inhibitor monotherapy. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and relevant conference proceedings. The random-effects inverse variance and Mantel-Haenszel methods were used to pool the results.Four randomized controlled trials and one cohort study were identified. A combination therapy with BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors was used in all studies. The combined hazard ratios of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) comparing combination therapy with monotherapy were 0.70 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.78] and 0.59 (95% CI 0.55-0.63), respectively. The combined risk ratio of objective response rate (ORR) was 1.30 (95% CI 1.20-1.40), which meant more patients achieved complete/partial responses in combination therapy group than those in the monotherapy group.Combination therapy with BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors significantly improved OS, PFS, and ORR in patients with advanced melanoma with BRAF mutation.

The management of pulmonary atresia with a ventricular septal defect (PA/VSD) depends on the anatomy of the pulmonary artery or on the surgical strategy used at individual institutions. In our institution, we adopted a right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) shunt in 2011 as a palliative procedure for PA/VSD to overcome the disadvantages of a Blalock-Taussig shunt. We evaluated the results of the RV-PA shunt as initial palliative surgery for PA/VSD. Thirteen patients with ductus-dependent PA/VSD from August 2011 to August 2015 were enrolled. The mean age at surgery was 17.9 ± 15.3 (range 5–60) days, and the mean body weight was 2.9 ± 0.6 (range 2.2–4.0) kg. A Gore-Tex tube graft was used in all patients. We retrospectively observed intra- and postoperative complications, early and late mortality, and palliation duration to definitive repair. Left pulmonary artery angioplasty was performed as a concomitant procedure in three patients. There were no early hospital mortalities, although two inter-stage deaths occurred 34 and 47 days postoperatively: one patient died of aspiration and the other of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) pseudoaneurysm rupture. Two patients (15.4%) required the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support postoperatively: one because of failure to wean from a bypass caused by persistent hypoxemia and the other because of sudden massive bleeding from the RVOT suture line in the intensive care unit 2 days postoperatively. These two patients underwent second-stage definitive repair successfully. Five patients (41.7%) required catheter intervention, for juxtaductal left pulmonary artery stenosis in three patients, right pulmonary artery stenosis in one, and shunt inflow stenosis in one. Two patients (15.4%) required re-operation because of shunt inflow stenosis and RVOT pseudoaneurysm, respectively. All patients who survived the RV-PA shunt underwent total correction at a mean interval of 13.1 months. A RV-PA shunt is an option for the initial palliation of ductus-dependent PA/VSD. Major complications can occur, including RVOT pseudoaneurysm, shunt inflow stenosis, persistent hypoxemia during the immediate postoperative period, and dehiscence of the shunt anastomosis site. Caution should be taken when performing the RV-PA shunt for palliation of PA/VSD.

Doxorubicin (DOXO) is widely used to treat solid tumors. However, its clinical use is limited by side effects including serious cardiotoxicity due to cardiomyocyte damage. Resident cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) act as key regulators of homeostasis in myocardial cells. However, little is known about the function of hCPCs in DOXO-induced cardiotoxicity. In this study, we found that DOXO-mediated hCPC toxicity is closely related to calcium-related autophagy signaling and was significantly attenuated by blocking mTOR signaling in human hCPCs. DOXO induced hCPC apoptosis with reduction of SMP30 (regucalcin) and autophagosome marker LC3, as well as remarkable induction of the autophagy-related markers, Beclin-1, APG7, and P62/SQSTM1 and induction of calcium-related molecules, CaM (Calmodulin) and CaMKII (Calmodulin kinase II). The results of an LC3 puncta assay further indicated that DOXO reduced autophagosome formation via accumulation of cytosolic Ca2+. Additionally, DOXO significantly induced mTOR expression in hCPCs, and inhibition of mTOR signaling by rapamycin, a specific inhibitor, rescued DOXO-mediated autophagosome depletion in hCPCs with significant reduction of DOXO-mediated cytosolic Ca2+ accumulation in hCPCs, and restored SMP30 and mTOR expression. Thus, DOXO-mediated hCPC toxicity is linked to Ca2+-related autophagy signaling, and inhibition of mTOR signaling may provide a cardio-protective effect against DOXO-mediated hCPC toxicity.

In this study, we sought predictors of mortality in children with acute myocarditis and of incomplete recovery in the survivor group. We classified our patients into three groups according to their outcomes at last follow-up: full recovery was classified as group I, incomplete recovery was classified as group II, and death was classified as group III. In total, 55 patients were enrolled in the study: 33 patients in group I, 11 patients in group II, and 11 patients in group III. The initial left ventricular fractional shortening – left ventricular fractional shortening – was significantly lower in group III (p=0.001), and the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension z score was higher in groups II and III compared with group I (p=0.000). A multivariate analysis showed that the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension z score (odds ratio (OR), 1.251; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.004–1.559), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (OR, 9.842; 95% CI, 1.044–92.764), and epinephrine infusion (OR, 18.552; 95% CI, 1.759–195.705) were significant predictors of mortality. The left ventricular end-diastolic dimension z score was the only factor that predicted incomplete recovery in the survivor group (OR, 1.360; 95% CI, 1.066–1.734; p=0.013). The receiver operating characteristic curve of the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension z score at admission showed a cut-off level of 3.01 for predicting mortality (95% CI, 0.714–0.948). In conclusion, a high left ventricular end-diastolic dimension z score on admission was a significant predictor of worse outcomes, both regarding mortality and incomplete recovery.

Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an inflammatory and neuropathic pain disorder characterized by the involvement of the autonomic nervous system with sensory, autonomic, motor, skin, and bone changes. At present, universally accepted consensus criteria for CRPS are not yet established, despite the diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Various hypotheses for the pathophysiology of CRPS have been proposed; as a result, current therapeutic modalities are varied. General epidemiological data on CRPS are necessary for effective management. However, recent data on the epidemiology of CRPS in Korea are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and other epidemiological features of CRPS in the general population in Korea. In this study on the epidemiology of CRPS in Korea, population-based medical data acquired from 51,448,491 subscribers to the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) from 2011 to 2015 were analyzed, including the incidence, distribution by the CRPS type, regional distribution, monthly distribution, medical costs, and healthcare resource-utilization. The findings indicated that the incidence of CRPS in Korea was 29.0 per 100,000 person-years in 2015 and was correlated with patient age and sex. CRPS types included type I (63%) and type II (37%); moreover, the number of individuals with CRPS I have shown a growing trend since 2011. There was no monthly distribution, but there was regional variation according to the province. The medical departments managing CRPS I the most were orthopedics, internal medicine, anesthesiology and pain medicine, in order; however, patients with CRPS spent more money per visit in the departments of rehabilitation medicine, and anesthesiology and pain medicine. The incidence rate of CRPS in Korea was 29.0 per 100,000 person-years with an increasing trend, which was correlated with patient age in the 70s and female sex. CRPS type I was more common than CRPS type II; in addition, constant increase in medical expenses, regional imbalance, and differences in medical expense among medical specialties should be considered for early management of patients to reduce the disease burden in Korea. Sharing of knowledge about the diagnostic criteria of CRPS are also needed.

Background Reconstruction of branch pulmonary arteries (PAs) can be demanding in redo congenital cardiac surgeries. Sutureless patch angioplasty could be a useful method to solve this problem, and we evaluated the feasibility of sutureless patch angioplasty for postoperative PA stenosis in patients who underwent congenital cardiac surgery. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 28 patients (19 males and 9 females) who underwent sutureless patch angioplasty for postoperative PA stenosis between November 2004 and April 2015. The median age was 7.3 months (range, 4.3 to 54.7), and the median weight was 7.2 kg (range, 5.3 to 12.2 kg). Right PA angioplasty was performed in 5, left PA angioplasty in 10, and both sides in 13 patients. The most common original diagnosis was hypoplastic left heart syndrome (n = 18 of 28, 64.3%). Concomitant surgeries were the bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt in 24 patients, the Fontan operation in 3, and the Rastelli operation in 1 patient. Results No operative death occurred. However, 2 late deaths were recorded, and both were unrelated to PA angioplasty. Mean follow-up duration was 60.9 ± 33.1 months. None of the patients had postoperative bleeding or thrombotic occlusion. No reoperation for PA restenosis was performed, and only 1 patient (3.6%) had a PA balloon angioplasty with a good result 12.9 months after the operation. Echocardiography or computed tomography angiography at the recent follow-up showed good branch PAs in all patients. Conclusions Sutureless patch angioplasty for postoperative PA stenosis could simplify PA angioplasty, and be a safe and effective method for PA reconstruction in patients who undergo congenital cardiac surgery.

A 22-years-old female patient at 171 cm and 67 kg visited the Department of Breast Surgery of the hospital with a mass accompanied with pain on the left side breast as chief complaints. Since physical examination revealed a suspected huge mass, breast surgeon decided to perform surgical excision and requested anesthesia to our department. Surgery of breast tumor is often under local anesthesia. However, in case of big size tumor, surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia. The patient feared general anesthesia. Unlike abdominal surgery, there is no need to control visceral pain for breast and anterior thoracic wall surgery. Therefore, we decided to perform resection under regional anesthesia. Herein, we report a successful anesthetic and pain management of the patient undergoing excision of a huge breast fibroadenoma under regional anesthesia using Pecs II and internal intercostal plane block.