Pediatric cardiology
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Pediatric cardiology · Jun 2017
Hyperoxia Reduces Oxygen Consumption in Children with Pulmonary Hypertension.
High inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2 > 0.85) is administered to test pulmonary vascular reactivity in children with pulmonary hypertension (PH). It is difficult to measure oxygen consumption (VO2) if the subject is breathing a hyperoxic gas mixture so the assumption is made that baseline VO2 does not change. We hypothesized that hyperoxia changes VO2. ⋯ In hyperoxia compared with room air, we measured decreased VO2 (154 ± 38 to 136 ± 34 ml/min/m2, p = 0.007), heart rate (91 [Formula: see text] 20 to 83 [Formula: see text] 21 beats/minute, p=0.005), mean pulmonary artery pressure (41 [Formula: see text] 16 to 35 [Formula: see text] 14 mmHg, p=0.024), CI (3.6 [Formula: see text] 0.8 to 3.3 [Formula: see text] 0.9 L/min/m2, p = 0.03), pulmonary vascular resistance (9 [Formula: see text] 6 to 7 [Formula: see text] 3 WU m2, p = 0.029), increased mean aortic (61 [Formula: see text] 11 to 67 [Formula: see text] 11 mmHg, p = 0.005), pulmonary artery wedge pressures (11 [Formula: see text] 8 to 13 [Formula: see text] 9 mmHg, p = 0.006), and systemic vascular resistance (12 [Formula: see text] 6 to 20 [Formula: see text] 7 WU m2, p=0.001). Hyperoxia decreased VO2 and CI and caused pulmonary vasodilation and systemic vasoconstriction in children with PH. The assumption that VO2 remains unchanged in hyperoxia may be incorrect and, if the Fick equation is used, may lead to an overestimation of pulmonary blood flow and underestimation of PVRI.
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Pediatric cardiology · Jun 2017
Peripheral Endothelial Function After Arterial Switch Operation for D-looped Transposition of the Great Arteries.
Coronary artery re-implantation during arterial switch operation in patients with D-looped transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) can alter coronary arterial flow and increase shear stress, leading to local endothelial dysfunction, although prior studies have conflicting results. Endothelial pulse amplitude testing can predict coronary endothelial dysfunction by peripheral arterial testing. This study tested if, compared to healthy controls, patients with D-TGA after arterial switch operation had peripheral endothelial dysfunction. ⋯ Endothelial pulse amplitude testing indices were similar between patients with D-TGA and controls (1.78 ± 0.61 vs. 1.73 ± 0.54, p = 0.73). In our study population of children and young adults, there was no evidence of peripheral endothelial dysfunction in patients with D-TGA who have undergone arterial switch operation. Our results support the theory that coronary arterial wall thickening and abnormal vasodilation reported in these patients is a localized phenomenon and not reflective of overall atherosclerotic burden.
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Pediatric cardiology · Apr 2017
Comparative StudyForgotten Right Ventricle in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
To evaluate the right ventricular (RV) function in relation to that of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Echocardiographic examination was done using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) for 32 pediatric patients with DCM comparing them to another 32 normal matched controls. The global longitudinal strain (GLS) derived from 2D-STE was used to reflect the LV systolic function. ⋯ For identifying severe LV dysfunction; RV MPI > 0.29 had 100% sensitivity and 93.7% specificity, while the RV IVA ≤ 3 had 84.4% sensitivity and 90.6% specificity. In pediatric patients with DCM the RV systolic and diastolic functions are affected beside the LV dysfunction. Non-conventional echocardiographic evaluation of RV function is recommended in among this cohort.
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Pediatric cardiology · Mar 2017
Multicenter StudyPrevalence and Risk Factors for Pericardial Effusions Requiring Readmission After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
Pericardial effusion (PE) may require readmission after cardiac surgery and has been associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify the prevalence and risk factors for postoperative PE requiring readmission in children. A retrospective analysis of the Pediatric Health Information System database was performed between January 1, 2003, and September 30, 2014. ⋯ Factors associated with interventions included shorter length of stay (LOS) for the initial surgical admission (OR 0.85, p = 0.008), longer LOS for the readmission (OR 1.37, p < 0.001), and atrial septal defect surgery (OR 1.40, p = 0.005). In this administrative database of children undergoing cardiac surgery, readmissions for PE occurred after 1.1% of cardiac surgery admissions. The risk factors identified for readmissions and interventions may allow for improved risk stratification, family counseling, and earlier recognition of PE for children undergoing cardiac surgery.
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Pediatric cardiology · Mar 2017
Institution of Veno-arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Does Not Lead to Increased Wall Stress in Patients with Impaired Myocardial Function.
The effect of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) on wall stress in patients with cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, or other cardiac conditions is unknown. We set out to determine the circumferential and meridional wall stress (WS) in patients with systemic left ventricles before and during VA ECMO. We established a cohort of patients with impaired myocardial function who underwent VA ECMO therapy from January 2000 to November 2013. ⋯ Furthermore, echocardiographic measures of cardiac function do not reflect the changes in ventricular performance inherent to VA ECMO support. These findings are informative for the interpretation of echocardiograms in the setting of VA ECMO. ECMO may improve ventricular mechanics in those with PH as the primary diagnosis.