None of the variables considered was correlated with early death or functional nonsuccess. Neither preoperative severity of pulmonary hypertension nor degree of cardiac failure influenced the outcome of the operation. PTE leads to hemodynamic recovery even in very compromised patients.

The role of immunosuppression in SARS-CoV-2-related disease (COVID-19) is a matter of debate. We here describe the course and the outcome of COVID-19 in a cohort of patients undergoing treatment with calcineurin inhibitors. In this monocentric cohort study, data were collected from the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy up to 28 April 2020. Patients were followed at our hospital for solid organ transplantation or systemic rheumatic disorders (RMDs) and were on calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based therapy. Selected patients were referred from the North of Italy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical course of COVID-19 in this setting. We evaluated 385 consecutive patients (220 males, 57%; median age 61 years, IQR 48–69); 331 (86%) received solid organ transplantation and 54 (14%) had a RMD. CNIs were the only immunosuppressant administered in 47 patients (12%). We identified 14 (4%) COVID-19 patients, all transplanted, mainly presenting with fever (86%) and diarrhea (71%). Twelve patients were hospitalized and two of them died, both with severe comorbidities. No patients developed acute respiratory distress syndrome or infectious complications. The surviving 10 patients are now fully recovered. The clinical course of COVID-19 patients on CNIs is generally mild, and the risk of superinfection seems low.

Port-access minimally invasive surgery for atrial septal defects is a safe, less-invasive, reproducible, and cosmetic operation, providing an excellent outcome and an effective correction, and could be now considered the standard approach for this type of patient.

Port-access video-assisted right mini-thoracotomy allows good results in a difficult subset of patients; it allows minimal adhesion dissection, short ICU and hospital stay. In our practice, this technique has become the treatment of choice for mitral valve re-do surgery.