In view of the increasing complexity of both cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and patients in the current era, practice guidelines, by necessity, have become increasingly specific. This document is an expert consensus statement that has been developed to update and further delineate indications and management of CIEDs in pediatric patients, defined as ≤21 years of age, and is intended to focus primarily on the indications for CIEDs in the setting of specific disease categories. The document also highlights variations between previously published adult and pediatric CIED recommendations and provides rationale for underlying important differences. The document addresses some of the deterrents to CIED access in low- and middle-income countries and strategies to circumvent them. The document sections were divided up and drafted by the writing committee members according to their expertise. The recommendations represent the consensus opinion of the entire writing committee, graded by class of recommendation and level of evidence. Several questions addressed in this document either do not lend themselves to clinical trials or are rare disease entities, and in these instances recommendations are based on consensus expert opinion. Furthermore, specific recommendations, even when supported by substantial data, do not replace the need for clinical judgment and patient-specific decision-making. The recommendations were opened for public comment to Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) members and underwent external review by the scientific and clinical document committee of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the science advisory and coordinating committee of the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC). The document received endorsement by all the collaborators and the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), the Indian Heart Rhythm Society (IHRS), and the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS). This document is expected to provide support for clinicians and patients to allow for appropriate CIED use, appropriate CIED management, and appropriate CIED follow-up in pediatric patients.

Transcatheter creation of an interatrial communication using the Occlutech Atrial Flow Regulator Device for pulmonary hypertension or heart failure is well described. We report a case of an 8-year-old boy with a failing Fontan circulation, in whom the Atrial Flow Regulator was used to successfully create a fenestration between the pulmonary artery and left atrium, improving his clinical condition.

The field of electrophysiology (EP) in paediatric cardiology patients and adults with congenital heart disease is complex and rapidly growing. The current recommendations for diagnostic and invasive electrophysiology of the working group for Cardiac Dysrhythmias and Electrophysiology of the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology acknowledges the diveristy of European countries and centers. These training recommendations can be fulfilled in a manageable period of time, without compromising the quality of training required to become an expert in the field of paediatric and congenital EP and are for trainees undergoing or having completed accredited paediatric cardiologist fellowship. Three levels of expertise, the training for General paediatric cardiology EP, for non-invasive EP and invasive EP have been defined. This Association for European EP curriculum describes the theoretical and practicsal knowledge in clinical EP; catheter ablation, cardiac implantable electronic devices, inherited arrhythmias and arrhythmias in adults with congenital heart defects for the 3 levels of expertise.

Cardiac strangulation is a rare and potentially deadly complication of epicardial pacemaker implantation. A young boy presenting with chest pain and tiredness almost 7 years after pacemaker implantation was found to have cardiac strangulation. Literature review revealed 22 cases reported to date with a worrying rise in the number of reports over the past 3 years. Strangulation is associated with implantation of leads at a young age and appears to be related to somatic growth. Serial assessment with chest X-ray and echocardiogram is recommended, at least until full adult growth is attained with further coronary artery imaging reserved for symptoms or suspicious echocardiographic findings. If cardiac strangulation is diagnosed prompt replacement of the offending system is needed.

We describe percutaneous repair of severe pulmonary regurgitation and a right ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm in a 19-year-old patient after repair of pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect, and major aortopulmonary collaterals. A 3D printed model of his heart was used to simulate percutaneous repair with a closure device in the aneurysm neck and a Venus P-valve in the right ventricular outflow tract. The encouraging findings from the simulation allowed us to plan the complex procedure effectively with a successful outcome and avoidance of surgery.

During field experiments the Russian knapweed nematode formed no galls on artichoke, one sterile gall on American basketflower, and few nematodes in numerous small galls on southwestern basket flower in comparison with much higher nematode production per gall on Russian knapweed.

The Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) is a non-profit organisation comprised of individuals dedicated to improving the care of children and young adults with cardiac rhythm disturbances. Although PACES is a predominantly North American-centric organisation, international members have been a part of PACES for the last two decades. This year, PACES expanded its North American framework into a broadly expansive international role. On 12 May, 2015, paediatric electrophysiology leaders from within the United States of America and Canada met with over 30 international paediatric electrophysiologists from 17 countries and five continents discussing measures to (1) expand PACES’ global vision, (2) address ongoing challenges such as limited resource allocation that may be present in developing countries, (3) expand PACES’ governance to include international representation, (4) promote joint international sessions at future paediatric EP meetings, and (5) facilitate a global multi-centre research consortium. This meeting marked the inception of a formal international collaborative spirit in PACES. This editorial addresses some solutions to breakdown the continental silos paediatric electrophysiologists have practiced within; however, there remain ongoing limitations, and future discussions will be needed to continue to move the PACES global international vision forward.

Food storage is a crucial adaptation for hunter-gatherers who face seasonal resource shortfalls, but the extra time that hunter-gatherer s must spend accumulating food surpluses has the potential to conflict with the time they need for other activities during seasons of abundance. Since the activities that conflict with storage may be different for women and men, it is important to consider which gender is responsible for storage. We argue that when women perform most storage tasks, the tradeoff between foraging and childcare is likely to shape storage behavior, particularly the decision of which foods to store. Our analysis of storage food preferences among the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of California’s Sierra Nevada suggests that women altered their storage strategy during the late Holocene when the shift to a semi-sedentary settlement system increased the conflict they faced between foraging and providing childcare. The adoption of an acorn-based storage economy during this period allowed women to minimize the time they spent foraging away from their residential bases, so they could better accommodate their childcare needs. This study demonstrates the utility of considering issues beyond the rate of caloric return from foraging to develop more complete models of hunter-gatherer behavior and explanations of the archaeological record.

Percutaneous upsizing of surgically placed Blalock–Taussig shunts is an uncommon practice. We report the case of an 8-month-old infant with single-ventricle physiology, who – due to comorbidities – was deemed unsuitable to proceed with Glenn operation. The 3.5-millimetre Blalock–Taussig shunt was stented successfully with a 5-millimetre pre-mounted stent, resulting in an increase in shunt diameter and oxygen saturation by nearly 30% and 10%, respectively.

Regulatory decisions regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug licensing and labelling, along with recent statements from professional associations, raise questions of practice regarding the evaluation and treatment of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To address these issues for the European community, the European Network for Hyperkinetic Disorders, through its European Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Guidelines Group, organised a meeting between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder specialists, paediatric cardiovascular specialists, and representatives of the major market authorisation holders for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications. This manuscript represents their consensus on cardiovascular aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications. Although sudden death has been identified in multiple young individuals on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication causing regulatory concern, when analysed for exposure using currently available data, sudden death does not appear to exceed that of the general population. There is no current evidence to suggest an incremental benefit to electrocardiography assessment of the general attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patient. Congenital heart disease patients have an increased prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and can benefit from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder therapies, including medication. The attention deficit hyperactivity disorder specialist is the appropriate individual to evaluate benefit and risk and recommend therapy in all patients, although discussion with a heart specialist is reasonable for congenital heart disease patients. For attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients with suspected heart disease or risk factor/s for sudden death, assessment by a heart specialist is recommended, as would also be the case for a non-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patient. The identification of risk factors for sudden death should not automatically exclude the use of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication.