ASD can be performed safely and effectively on an arrested or beating heart with the assistance of robotic technology. This totally endoscopic approach represents an option for patients seeking a reliable, minimally invasive ASD repair with an excellent long-term result.

Objective A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of the preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) on the severity of toxic side effects of radiochemotherapy and the survival prognosis of patients with gastric cancer to guide the clinical nutritional support for patients with gastric cancer. Methods Data of 191 patients with gastric cancer in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of Guizhou Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University between January 2008 and December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were allocated to the high PNI group (with PNI ≥47.7) and the low PNI group (with PNI <47.7) according to the PNI cutoff value, and the incidence of severe toxic side effects of radiochemotherapy and the overall survival time were compared between the high PNI group and low PNI group. In addition, prognostic factor analysis was performed. Results The severe hematologic side effects of radiochemotherapy and shorter postoperative survival time were more likely to occur in the low PNI group than in the high PNI group. The multifactor analysis showed that TNM stage (p = 0.000) and PNI (p = 0.001) were the independent risk factors for the overall postoperative survival time in patients with gastric cancer. Conclusion Preoperative PNI might predict the severity of hematologic toxic side effects of adjuvant chemotherapy/radiochemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer after surgery. Patients in the low PNI group were more likely to have severe hematologic toxic side effects, and therefore a low PNI might be one of the important factors affecting the prognosis of gastric cancer.

We have shown that use of the da Vinci S Surgical System to perform on-pump ASD repairs on the beating heart without cross-clamping the aorta is feasible, safe, and effective.

Cor triatriatum sinister (CTS) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly and is mainly corrected through conventional surgery through sternotomy. We described our successful novel surgical technique of totally robotic correction of CTS in one case of CTS with concomitant repair of atrial septal defect using da Vinci SI Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA USA) with excellent surgical outcome. We conclude that robotic correction of CTS is a feasible and safe alternative to conventional surgical technique.

A pulmonary artery sling is formed when the left pulmonary artery originates from the right pulmonary artery and encircles the distal trachea, coursing between the trachea and esophagus to reach the hilum of the left lung. Pulmonary artery slings are often associated with distal tracheal narrowing, due to either intrinsic stenosis or secondary compression by the anomaly itself. We report a very rare case in which the left superior pulmonary artery originated from the right pulmonary artery and then acted as a sling, the left inferior pulmonary artery originated from the pulmonary trunk.