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Clinical Data: A nine-month-old female infant diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries with symptoms of heart failure associated with cyanosis and difficulty in gaining weight was referred to our center with late diagnosis (at nine months of age)., Chest Radiography: Cardiomegaly; attenuated peripheral vascular markings.Electrocardiography: Sinus rhythm with biventricular overload and aberrantly conducted supraventricular extra systoles., Echocardiography: Wide atrial septal defect, ventricular axis torsion with concordant atrioventricular connection and discordant ventriculoarterial connection., Computed Tomography Angiography: Concordant atrioventricular connection, right ventricle positioned superiorly and left ventricle positioned inferiorly; discordant ventriculoarterial connection with right ventricle connected to the aorta and left ventricle connected to pulmonary artery., Diagnosis: Crisscross heart is a rare congenital heart defect, accounting for 0.1% of congenital heart diseases. It consists of the 90º rotation of ventricles' axis in relation to their normal position; therefore, ventricles are positioned in the superior-inferior direction rather than anterior-posterior. Most cases have associated cardiac anomalies, and in this case, it is associated with transposition of the great arteries. The complexity and rarity of its occurrence make diagnosis and surgical treatment challenging., Operation: Modified Senning procedure using the pericardial sac in the construction of a tunnel from pulmonary veins to the right atrium. Cardiopulmonary bypass time of 147 minutes with nine minutes of total circulatory arrest.

Introduction: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a narrowing of the thoracic aorta that often manifests as discrete stenosis but may be tortuous or in long segment. The study aimed to evaluate pre and post-surgical aspects of pediatric patients submitted to CoA surgical correction and to identify possible predisposing factors for aortic recoarctation., Methods: Twenty-five patients were divided into groups according to presence (N=8) or absence (N=17) of recoarctation after surgical correction of CoA and evaluated according to clinical-demographic profile, vascular characteristics via computed angiotomography (CAT), and other pathological conditions., Results: Majority of males (64%), ≥ 15 days old (76%), ≥ 2.5 kg (80%). There was similarity between groups with and without recoarctation regarding sex (male: 87% vs. 53%; P=0.277), age (≥ 15 days: 62.5 vs. 82%; P=0.505), and weight (≥ 2.5 kg: 87.5 vs. 76.5; P=0,492). Altered values of aortic root/Valsalva diameter, proximal transverse arch, and distal isthmus, and normal values for aorta prevailed in preoperative CAT. Normal values for the aortic root/Valsalva sinus diameter were observed with and without recoarctation, the same for both groups regarding ascending and descending aorta in postoperative CAT. No significant difference for altered values of proximal transverse arch and alteration in distal isthmus was observed., Conclusion: No predictive risk for recoarctation was observed. CTA proved to be important in CoA diagnosis and management, since CoA is mainly related with altered diameter of aortic root/sinus of Valsalva and proximal and distal aortic arch/isthmus, however, it failed to show predictive risk for recoarctation.

Clinical Data: Infant, nine months of age, female, diagnosed with congenital heart disease, with signs of heart failure associated with cyanosis and difficulty in gaining weight., Chest Radiography: Cardiomegaly with prevalence of pulmonary vascular network., Electrocardiogram: Ectopic atrial rhythm with right ventricular overload and left anterosuperior divisional block., Echocardiogram: Single atrium with absent interatrial septum, atrioventricular connection with a single valve and two orifices, with increased pulmonary pressure and high Qp/Qs., Computed Tomography: Absence of portal vein and intrahepatic segment of the inferior vena cava. Infrahepatic portion continuing with the azygos system at the level of the thoracic cavity, presence of mesenteric-caval communication associated with signs suggestive of hepatic peribiliary fibrosis., Diagnosis: Abernethy malformation is a rare condition and represents an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt that develops between the mesenteric-portal vasculature and the systemic veins. It may be associated with cardiac malformations and advance with pulmonary hypertension and even the need for liver transplantation. Persistent cyanosis after corrective surgery led to a deeper investigation and correct diagnosis of this malformation., Operation: Sternotomy with 68 minutes of cardiopulmonary bypass and nine minutes of total circulatory arrest. In the postoperative period, persistence of cyanosis was evident, even though there were no immediate complications. Patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day. An abdominal computed tomography angiography confirmed the diagnosis of Abernethy type I malformation, and the patient was transferred for liver transplantation after congenital heart disease treatment.

Illicit drug use during pregnancy is a concern worldwide, with many international studies describing attempted strategies to mitigate this problem. Drug misuse during pregnancy is associated with significant maternal as well as perinatal complications, which include a high incidence of stillbirths, fetal distress, neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and increased neonatal mortality. Unfortunately, the identification of a drug-exposed mother or neonate is challenging. Maternal disclosure of drug use is often inaccurate, principally due to psychosocial factors including behavioral denial or the fear of the consequences resulting from such admissions. Likewise, many infants who have been exposed to drugs in utero may appear normal at birth and initially show no overt manifestations of drug effects. Thus, the identification of the drug-exposed infant requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Conversely, analytical testing is an objective means of determining drug exposure when it may be necessary to document proof of the infant's exposure to illicit drugs. The review will discuss the different matrices that are most commonly used for testing (e.g., maternal urine, neonatal urine, meconium, and umbilical cord), the strengths and limitations for each matrix, which drugs and metabolites are appropriate for testing, the various testing methods, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Many hospitals cannot afford an hCG assay on a central lab analyzer and turn to point of care testing (POCT) solutions. The Radiometer AQT90 FLEX is a small benchtop immunoareement between the AQT90 and comparator methods for samples with hCG ssay analyzer for use in the laboratory or at the patient bedside. This study evaluated the analytical performance of the AQT90's βhCG assay., Methods: Precision was assessed using whole blood patient samples and two levels of quality control. Linearity was assessed by dilution of a high hCG plasma sample. Carryover and hook effect were assessed using high and low hCG samples. Method comparisons were done against Abbott i-STAT Total βhCG, Beckman Coulter Total βhCG (5th IS), and Roche hCG+β. Sample concentrations ranged from<2 IU/L to 4,973 IU/L., Results: Repeatability and within-laboratory precision passed most manufacturer's claims and allowable error criteria. Linearity was validated from<2 IU/L to 4,741 IU/L. Hook effect was not observed up to 2,446,448 IU/L. Carryover was<4.0 ppm. A linear relationship was observed with i-STAT, Beckman and Roche methods. At>20 IU/L, biases were apparent against all three comparator assays (i-STAT: +20%, Roche: +30%, Beckman: +5 to 15%). At ≤20 IU/L, the acceptability of agreement varied according to TAE specifications. Concordance between AQT90 and comparator assays using 5 IU/L as the medical decision level ranged from 69% to 81%., Conclusions: Overall, the AQT90 hCG assay performed well and would be suitable for smaller suburban or rural hospitals. Some limitations have been noted and should be kept in mind during clinical testing.

Background: The Brazilian healthcare system offers universal coverage but lacks information about how patients with PC needs are serviced by its primary care program, Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF)., Methods: Cross-sectional study in community settings. Patients in ESF program were screened using a Palliative Care Screening Tool (PCST). Included patients were assessed with Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS)., Results: Patients with PC needs are accessing the ESF program regardless of there being no specific PC support provided. From 238 patients identified, 73 (43 women, 30 men) were identified as having a need for PC, and the mean age was 77.18 (95 % Confidence Interval = ±2,78) years, with non-malignant neurologic conditions, such as dementia and cerebrovascular diseases, being the most common (53 % of all patients). Chronic conditions (2 or more years) were found in 70 % of these patients, with 71 % scoring 50 or less points in the KPS. Overall symptom intensity was low, with the exception of some cases with moderate and high score, and POS average score was 14.16 points (minimum = 4; maximum = 28). Most patients received medication and professional support through the primary care units, but limitations of services were identified, including lack of home visits and limited multi-professional approaches., Conclusion: Patients with PC needs were identified in ESF program. Basic health care support is provided but there is a lack of attention to some specific needs. PC policies and professional training should be implemented to improve this area.