Congenital heart disease
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Congenital heart disease · Jan 2017
Sudden cardiac death and late arrhythmias after the Fontan operation.
We sought to examine the incidence and predictors of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) after Fontan operation. ⋯ Arrhythmias and SCD are significant concerns among Fontan patients and specific risk factors may warrant closer follow-up and earlier consideration for therapy.
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Congenital heart disease · Jan 2017
Aortic stenting in the growing sheep causes aortic endothelial dysfunction but not hypertension: Clinical implications for coarctation repair.
Stent implantation is the treatment of choice for adolescents and adults with aortic coarctation (CoAo). Despite excellent short-term results, 20%-40% of the patients develop arterial hypertension later in life, which was attributed to inappropriate response of the aortic baroreceptors to increased stiffness of the ascending aorta (ASAO), either congenital or induced by CoAo repair. In particular, it has been hypothesized that stent itself may cause or sustain hypertension. Therefore, we aimed to study the hemodynamic and structural impact following stent implantation in the normal aorta of a growing animal. ⋯ Stent does not affect central and peripheral hemodynamics, cardiac structure and function even in the long term. However, the finding of markers of OS and increased stiffness of ASAO, proximal to the stent, points to molecular mechanisms for increased cardiovascular risk of patients with stented CoAo.