BACKGROUND The use of a right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduit in the Norwood procedure has been proposed to increase postoperative hemodynamic stability. A valve within the conduit should further decrease RV volume load. We report our clinical experience with this modification. METHODS AND RESULTS From February 2002 through August 2005, we performed 88 consecutive Norwood proced...

BACKGROUND Vascular access devices placed into the central venous system are used routinely in the medical management of many patients. Catheter tip occlusion is a common complication of open-ended catheters, causing difficulty with blood withdrawal and infusion. This study evaluated whether a valved subcutaneous port system would have fewer associated complications than a standard nonvalved po...

BACKGROUND Previous attempts to provide right heart assistance with skeletal muscle ventricles (SMVs) have been frustrated by the low preload supplied by the systemic venous blood pressure. In the present study, right ventricular pressure was exploited to provide more optimal preload, the SMV being connected by valved conduits between right ventricular free wall and the main pulmonary artery. ...

Here we report and document the first Romanian occurrence of diatom Gomphonema angustivalva E. Reichardt 1997 from a proglacial lake Carpathian Mts. Identifying this narrow-valved gomphonemoid taxon (valva width < 5 μm) requires exploration ultrastructure using scanning electron microscopy. We observed species in material collected sediment core Lake Bâlea (Romania).

BACKGROUND Patients with infective endocarditis show a large diversity of anatomical presentations, which has been a complicating factor for the surgical treatment of this condition, especially in those who develop abscesses in the aortic ring or intracardiac fistulae. For this reason, surgeons have been developing tactical options to repair it. There is consensus around the fact that the remov...

BACKGROUND To evaluated the feasibility and safety of new aortic valved stents in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using retrograde approach by in vitro testing and animal implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The fluid passing test, expanding and releasing tests, static and releasing tests in tube were performed for new valved stents. Transvalvular pressure gradient, effective or...

BACKGROUND In general, all conduits available for right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction eventually become stenotic or insufficient. Owing to the lack of an ideal conduit and with the hope of reducing the incidence of reoperations, we have developed and utilized a bicuspid valved polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) conduit for the reconstruction of the RVOT. The purpose of this study ...