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Introduction: Based on a longtime voluntary registry founded by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in 2012, well-defined data of all adult cardiac surgery procedures performed in Slovakia at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases during the year 2020 are analyzed. Material and method: For this period, a total of 1021 procedures were submitted to the registry from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Results: The unadjusted in-hospital survival rate for the 401 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures including urgent and emergency procedures (relatioship on-/off pump 4.5:1) was 97%. For isolated 306 isolated heart valve procedures (30 transcatheter interventions), it was 96.4%. Concerning ventricular assist devices, 11 implantations were registered. In 2020 the number of isolated heart transplantations increased to 26, a rise of 44.4% compared to the previous year. Conclusion: This annual registry represents voluntary public reporting by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart procedures in Slovakia, constitutes advancements in heart medicine, and represents a basis for quality management. In addition the registry demonstrates that the provision of cardiac surgery in Slovakia is up to date, appropriate, and fulltime nationwide patient treatment is guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dilatation of the aortic root or ascending aorta is a commom condition, especially in patients with genetic disorders like Marfan syndrome, Loyes-Dietz syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndome and bicuspid aortic valve disease. Prophylactic replacement of the aortic root/ascending aorta aims to mitigate the risk of dissection or rupture. Current established surgical techniques are there placement of the aortic root/ascending aorta or the valve sparing root replacement. Personalized external aortic root support (PEARS) is an emerging technology that was developed as an alternative surgical method to aortic root replacement in patients with Marfan syndrome. In this review article we describe the indications, the surgical technique, the advantages and the worldwide experience of the PEARS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]