BACKGROUND Given poor outcomes, strategies to improve ventricular assist device (VAD) for single ventricle (SV) patients with bi-directional Glenn (BDG) palliation is needed. METHODS Retrospective review of our institutional experience with VAD support for BDG patients from April 2011 to January 2019. Surgical strategies, complications and causes of death are described. Survival to transplant for various strategies are compared. RESULTS Seven patients with BDG (weights 5.6-28.8 kg, ages 7 months - 11 years) underwent VAD implantation. Three patients received Berlin Heart EXCOR, 2 received Heartware HVADs and 2 patients received paracorporeal continuous flow devices. Four patients underwent ventricular inflow cannulation, and 3 underwent atrial inflow cannulation. At the time of VAD implant, the BDG was left intact in 3 patients, taken down in 3 patients, and created de novo in 1 patient. Over a total of 420 VAD support days, 2 patients survived to heart transplant; one with Heartware ventricular cannulation and intact BDG (after 174 days), and another with Berlin Heart atrial cannulation and BDG take-down (after 72 days). There were 3 deaths within 2 weeks of VAD implant (2 due to respiratory failure, 1 due to infection) and 2 deaths after 30 days due to strokes. CONCLUSIONS The surgical strategy and postoperative management of VAD with BDG are still evolving. Successful support can be achieved with 1) both pulsatile and continuous flow pumps, 2) atrial or ventricular cannulation, and 3) with or without BDG take-down. Surgical strategy should be determined by individual patient anatomy, physiology and condition. Mitral valve construction using decellularized bovine pericardium is a new procedure. Ten month old infant with neonatal Marfan syndrome underwent mitral valve replacement due to severe mitral regurgitation with a cylinder valve constructed from decellularized bovine pericardium. Nineteen-months post-operatively, the patient is clinically well with trivial mitral regurgitation, mild stenosis, and without need for anticoagulation. PURPOSE To report the prevalence of amblyopia, strabismus, and anisometropia in a young adult population at a single center in Australia and to investigate the underlying prenatal and early-life risk factors. METHODS Participants in the Raine Study have been followed from mid-gestation (n = 2,868 newborns) to young adulthood. At age 20 years, 1,344 participants had a comprehensive eye examination, including visual acuity and a detailed orthoptic assessment. Risk factors were determined from medical records and questionnaires completed by the mothers at 18 weeks' gestation. The main outcome measures were the proportions of participants with amblyopia, esotropia, exotropia, or anisometropia (defined as >1 D difference). RESULTS Of the 1,125 white participants, 12 (1.1%) had amblyopia, 39 (3.5%) had strabismus, and 33 (2.9%) had anisometropia. In multivariable logistic regression, amblyopia was associated with a maternal history of pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR = 3.80; 95% CI, 1.19-12.13); esotropia, with lower gestational age (OR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.97) and a heavier placenta (OR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04); exotropia, with a maternal history of previously treated hypertension (OR = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.06-15.03) and maternal use of recreational drugs during early pregnancy (OR = 3.61; 95% CI, 1.06-15.03); and anisometropia, with older maternal age (OR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.14) and an abnormal umbilical cord (OR = 2.39; 95% CI, 1.04-5.47). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of amblyopia, strabismus, and anisometropia in this cohort was similar to that in other studies. Preterm birth and maternal health may have adverse effects on eye development. PURPOSE To describe the nystagmus characteristics of subjects with molecularly confirmed CNGB3-associated achromatopsia and report the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings in these individuals. METHODS Adults and children with CNGB3-achromatopsia underwent visual acuity testing, ocular motility assessments, video nystagmography, and SD-OCT imaging. Qualitative assessment of foveal structure was performed by grading SD-OCT images into one of five categories.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/vu661013.html  RESULTS A total of 18 subjects (11 adults) were included. The majority demonstrated a phoria, with manifest strabismus present in only 3 subjects. The predominant nystagmus waveform within the cohort was pure pendular. Nine individuals demonstrated a mixture of waveforms. Nystagmus frequencies were 4-8 cycles/second, with no notable differences in eye movements between adults and children. SD-OCT imaging revealed a continuous ellipsoid zone (EZ) at the fovea in 2 subjects (grade 1) and EZ disruption (grade 2) in the remaining 16. Retinal structure characteristics were symmetrical in both eyes in each subject. CONCLUSIONS In our study cohort, nystagmus in CNGB3-associated achromatopsia had distinctive features, and the majority of subjects had retinal abnormalities at the fovea on SD-OCT. Early use of SD-OCT in the clinical work-up may eliminate the need for more invasive investigations, such as neuro-imaging. PURPOSE To determine whether enhanced follow-up after failed vision screening, involving more communication with parents/guardians than occurs in a standard protocol, would result in a higher rate of post-screening examination by an eye care provider. METHODS In a study conducted from January through December 2017, 162 children in first- and third-grade who failed a vision screening in their Wayne County, Michigan, schools were randomly assigned to receive an enhanced or the standard follow-up protocol. RESULTS The average age of the children was 7.9 ± 1.1years; 84 (52%) were males. In the enhanced follow-up group, 52 of 80 (65%) had a documented eye examination within 16 weeks of their screening; the rate in those receiving standard follow-up was 48% (39/82). The intergroup difference in follow-up was 17.4% (95% CI, 2.4%-32.5%). The enhanced follow-up group's odds of obtaining a documented eye examination was twice that of the standard follow-up group (OR = 2.05; 95% CI, 1.09-3.85; P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS In this study cohort, methods to enhance communication proved effective in increasing the likelihood that children who failed vision screenings would receive an examination by an eye care provider.