Cardiology in the young
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Cardiology in the young · Jul 2019
Case ReportsOperable ventricular septal defect despite severe pulmonary hypertension and cyanosis!
Patients with a significant left-to-right shunt at ventricular level may become inoperable at an early age due to irreversible pulmonary vascular disease. On the other hand, even suprasystemic pulmonary hypertension due to mitral stenosis remains treatable. We report a 24-year-old patient with large ventricular septal defect, severe mitral stenosis and cyanosis who improved after surgical correction of both the lesions. This emphasises the importance of additional post-capillary pulmonary hypertension in Eisenmenger syndrome.
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Cardiology in the young · Jul 2019
Reducing radiation dose in paediatric interventional cardiac catheterisation.
Radiation exposure during paediatric cardiac catheterisation procedures should be minimised to "as low as reasonably achievable". The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified radiation safety protocol in reducing patient dose during paediatric interventional cardiac catheterisation. ⋯ We provided a feasible radiation safety protocol with specific settings on a case-by-case basis. Increasing awareness and adequate training of a practical radiation dose reduction program are essential to improve radiation protection for children.