Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the early postoperative period following intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot is rare. In stable VT, amiodarone forms the mainstay of management. However, where amiodarone and other antiarrhythmic drugs are contraindicated, suppressive overdrive atrial pacing can be used as a safe and efficient alternative to maintain cardiac output. We present a case of 1-year 5-month-old child who developed VT with low cardiac output syndrome with deranged hepatic function, who was managed efficiently using suppressive atrial pacing to ameliorate the effects of sustained VT.

Objectives: Cardioplegia is essential for adequate myocardial protection. There continues to remain ambiguity regarding the ideal cardioplegia for adequate myocardial protection in congenital heart surgery. This study compares clinical outcomes using St Thomas II solution and Del Nido cardioplegia in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: All neonates (<30 days) from 2011 to 2017 who underwent surgery requiring cardioplegic arrest were analyzed retrospectively. We divided the cohort into two groups depending on cardioplegia received, as group A (Blood cardioplegia with St Thomas II solution, n = 56) and group B (Del Nido cardioplegia, n = 48). Various demographic, intraoperative, early postoperative, and discharge variables were analyzed. Results: Two groups were similar in age, gender, pre-operative diagnosis, and risk category. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time ( P = 0.002), aortic cross-clamp (ACC) time ( P = 0.018), and the number of doses of cardioplegia ( P < 0.001) were significantly lower with Del Nido group. Though vasoactive inotropic score (VIS) ( P = 0.036) was high during the first 24 h in the immediate postoperative period in group A, there was no difference in early mortality among both groups ( P = 0.749). Both groups did not show significant differences related to various postoperative and discharge variables. Conclusion: When compared to St. Thomas solution, the use of Del Nido cardioplegia solution in neonates is associated with a significant decrease in CPB and ACC times and VIS in the first 24 h after surgery. The choice of cardioplegia (St Thomas/Del Nido) in neonates does not affect early mortality and early postoperative clinical outcomes.

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Introduction Type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) remains a challenging cardiac emergency despite the availability of various management strategies. This study compared the outcomes of supracoronary ascending aortic replacement (SCAAR) with aortic valve (AV) resuspension with those of modified Bentall's operation for type A AAD and the progression of aortic regurgitation (AR), long-term dilatation of aortic root and proximal arch, and long-term mortality in SCAAR patients. Methods Sixty patients underwent surgery for type A AAD (January 2005 to December 2015). Forty-three patients underwent SCAAR with AV resuspension and 17 underwent modified Bentall's operation. All patients were followed up. Results Upon follow-up of SCAAR patients (n=40), there was significant reduction in aortic root size (preoperative 39.3 mm [9.4] vs . postoperative 33.1 mm [9.1]; P <0.001). Three of these patients worsened to severe AR while others had similar or lesser degree of AR. On comparison between preoperative and postoperative dimensions of all patients (n=53), there was no significant difference in distal ascending aorta size (35.7 mm [8.1] vs . 34.4 mm [8.9]; P =0.52). However, an increase in descending thoracic aorta size (28.8 mm [7.8] vs . 33.7 mm [9.9]; P <0.001) was observed. In-hospital and late mortalities for SCAAR vs . modified Bentall's procedure were 11.7% (seven patients) (7% [3] vs . 23.5% [4]) and 28% (15 patients) (15% [6] vs . 69% [9]), respectively. Conclusion SCAAR with AV resuspension is a safe surgical option for type A AAD. Preservation of AV is associated with better long-term outcomes and reduced mortality. Modified Bentall's operation may be associated with long-term mortality.

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