The importance of evaluating anatomy below the diaphragm in staged single-ventricle patients presenting with cyanosis.

Objective: To highlight veno-venous collaterals and portosystemic shunts as possible causes of cyanosis requiring evaluation or treatment below the diaphragm in patients with single-ventricle physiology during staged palliation.

Background: Cyanosis can complicate staged single-ventricle palliation and is often evaluated with imaging isolated to the thorax. As a result, lesions below the diaphragm, such as veno-venous collaterals and portosystemic shunts, may be missed.

Utility of Anaerobic Blood Cultures in Neonatal Sepsis Evaluation.

Background: Clinicians variably obtain anaerobic blood cultures as part of sepsis evaluations in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our objective was to determine if anaerobic blood culture bottles yielded clinically relevant information by either recovering pathogens exclusively or more rapidly than the concurrently obtained aerobic culture bottle in the NICU.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of blood cultures obtained from infants admitted to the NICU from August 01, 2015 to August 31, 2023.