Al‐Halees, Zohair

AbstractWe report successful heart transplantation in a phosphoglucomutase 1 deficient (PGM1‐CDG) patient. She presented with facial dysmorphism, bifid uvula and structural heart defects. Newborn screening was positive for classic galactosemia. The patient was on a galactose‐free diet for 8 months. Eventually, whole exome sequencing excluded the galactosemia and revealed PGM1‐CDG. Oral D‐galactose therapy was started. Rapid deterioration of the progressive dilated cardiomyopathy prompted heart transplantation at the age of 12 months. Cardiac function was stable in the first 18 months of follow‐up, and hematologic, hepatic, and endocrine laboratory findings improved during D‐galactose therapy. The latter therapy improves several systemic symptoms and biochemical abnormalities in PGM1‐CDG but does not correct the heart failure related to cardiomyopathy. Heart transplantation has so far only been described in DOLK‐CDG.

The optimal training of the highly specialized congenital heart surgeon is a long and complex process, which is a significant challenge in most parts of the world. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (WSPCHS) has established the Global Council on Education for Congenital Heart Surgery as a nonprofit organization with the goal of assessing current training and certification and ultimately establishing standardized criteria for the training, evaluation, and certification of congenital heart surgeons around the world. The Global Council and the WSPCHS have reviewed the present status of training and certification for congenital cardiac surgery around the world. There is currently lack of consensus and standardized criteria for training in congenital heart surgery, with significant disparity between continents and countries. This represents significant obstacles to international job mobility of competent congenital heart surgeons and to the efforts to improve the quality of care for patients with Congenital Heart Disease worldwide. The purpose of this article is to summarize and document the present state of training and certification in congenital heart surgery around the world.

The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (WSPCHS) is the largest professional organization in the world dedicated to pediatric and congenital heart surgery. The purpose of this article is to document the first decade of the history of WSPCHS from its formation in 2006, to summarize the current status of WSPCHS, and to consider the future of WSPCHS. The WSPCHS was incorporated in Canada on April 7, 2011, with a head office in Montreal, Canada. The vision of the WSPCHS is that every child born anywhere in the world with a congenital heart defect should have access to appropriate medical and surgical care. The mission of the WSPCHS is to promote the highest quality comprehensive cardiac care to all patients with congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless of the patient’s economic means, with an emphasis on excellence in teaching, research, and community service.