Congenital heart disease
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Congenital heart disease · May 2010
B-type natriuretic peptide: perioperative patterns in congenital heart disease.
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic roles in adults with heart failure. BNP levels in children undergoing surgical repair of congenital heart disease (CHD) were characterized broadly, and distinguishable subgroup patterns delineated. ⋯ Perioperative BNP correlates to severity of illness and lengths of therapy in the CHD population, overall. Substantial variation in BNP across time as well as within and between CHD lesions limits its practical utility as an isolated point-of-care measure. BNP commonly peaks 6-12 hours postoperatively, but the timing and magnitude of BNP elevation demonstrates notable age-dependency, peaking earlier and rising an order of magnitude higher in neonates. In spite of higher clinical acuity, non-neonatal univentricular CHD paradoxically demonstrates lower BNP levels compared with biventricular physiologies.
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Congenital heart disease · May 2010
Early pleural effusions related to the myocardial injury after open-heart surgery for congenital heart disease.
The degree of effusion immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can vary and may reflect several factors including the degree of myocardial injury. We compared the degree of pleural effusions after CPB to the overall myocardial injury as determined by serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels after elective repair of a variety of congenital heart defects, including univentricular surgeries via cavopulmonary shunts. ⋯ We found that higher the cTnI released, especially >or=15 microg/L, longer the duration and greater the amount of early pleural effusions for a variety of congenital heart surgeries including cavopulmonary shunts. A number of factors may lead to excessive pleural effusions and the degree of myocardial injury may be one of them.
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Congenital heart disease · May 2010
Case ReportsInduction of left ventricular fascicular tachycardia with transesophageal pacing in a toddler.
J. V. is a 3(1/2)-year-old patient with left ventricular fascicular ventricular tachycardia that had been well controlled on verapamil for 3 years. He was taken for a transesophageal electrophysiology study prior to discontinuing medication in an attempt to induce his tachycardia. We report the use of transesophageal electrophysiology study as a noninvasive method to induce left ventricular fascicular ventricular tachycardia in a toddler.