Rare type of intrapulmonary drainage of one lung by the other with total anomalous pulmonary venous return

Exploring the needs and experiences of palliative home care from the perspectives of patients with advanced cancer in China: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

The needs and experiences of palliative home care for patients with advanced cancer have received little research attention. We aimed to explore the needs and experiences of palliative home care among patients with advanced cancer in China.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with patients with advanced cancer. Participants (n = 15) were recruited from an oncology palliative care unit and a hospice outpatient unit, and were selected using purposive sampling from October 2019 to March 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis. Two researchers coded the interviews independently in NVivo 12 and developed major themes and subthemes by inductive and constant comparison.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified: (1) physical need; (2) psychological experience; (3) spiritual need; (4) social need; and (5) information need. Patients need to manage their symptoms (especially cancer pain), prolong life as long as possible, reconstruct their attitudes to adapt to their roles, be socially supported, be respected, maintain spiritual peace, and obtain more information about illness and home care.

CONCLUSIONS

The current palliative home care services are imperfect, and patients face substantial challenges, including physical symptoms, psychological/spiritual distress, and inadequate social support and information. Our findings may provide evidence and a reference for the development of palliative home care in China.

Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection With an Intraparenchymal Course

An intraparenchymal course of the pulmonary venous pathway within one lung in anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare and poorly recognized variation. We report three new cases and summarize the remaining 19 known cases of this infrequent anomaly. We expect that this review will call attention to this unusual pattern of pulmonary venous drainage and enhance prospective diagnosis.

Intrapulmonary vertical vein associated with an infracardiac type of totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection

We encountered 2 cases of a very rare type of anomalous pulmonary venous drainage associated with infracardiac type of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The pulmonary vein from the entire left lung traversed the posterior mediastinum and joined the right pulmonary vein at the hilum. Furthermore, a large drainage vein coursed caudally through the pulmonary parenchyma and penetrated the diaphragm. The morphology of the pulmonary venous system could not be delineated by preoperative echocardiography. It should be noted that the vertical vein of this variant cannot be found, even if the posterior mediastinum is extensively dissected during operation, and exploration of the pleural cavity is necessary.

Rare Type of Mixed Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage

We describe a rare form of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in a neonate with major extracardiac congenital abnormalities. The infracardiac communication was hypoplastic, whereas the supracardiac connection had an intrapulmonary course through the left lung. There was an associated atrioventricular septal defect.

Successful repair of a rare type of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage

This report describes a 2-month-old female infant with a rare supracardiac type of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. The intrapulmonary drainage of the pulmonary veins was into the right lung from the left lung. The anomaly was successfully repaired by atriocavoplasty.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome with premature closure of foramen ovale: report of an unusual type of totally anomalous pulmonary venous return

We report on a case of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), associated with premature closure of the foramen ovale and an unusual type of totally anomalous pulmonary venous return. The existence of an anomalous connection of the right upper pulmonary vein to the superior vena cava-right atrial (SVC-RA) junction and the existence of the anomalous intrapulmonary venous channel between right upper and lower pulmonary vein allowed all the pulmonary blood to drain into the SVC-RA junction, whereas she had only partially anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The several intrapulmonary venous channels helped to delay the progression of pulmonary venous obstruction. Chromosomal analysis revealed that the patient had XO Turner syndrome. We conclude that all infants with HLHS should be carefully evaluated for the existence of anomalous pulmonary venous return. Two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography is one of the most useful techniques for evaluating such anomalies.