Lukas Minder¹, Markus Schwerzmann^1,2, Thomas Radtke^1,3, Hugo Saner¹, Prisca Eser¹, Matthias Wilhelm¹, Jean-Paul Schmid^1,4,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 597-608, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016031

Abstract Objective: To extend our knowledge on tolerance of acute high-altitude exposure and hemodynamic response to exercise in adolescents with congenital heart disease (AscCHD) without meaningful clinical or functional restriction. Methods: A symptom limited cardiopulmonary exercise stress test and a non-invasive cardiac output measurement during steady state exercise were performed at 540 m and at 3454 m a.s.l. Symptoms of acute mountain sickness were noted. Results: We recruited 21 healthy controls and 16 AscCHD (59% male, mean age 14.7 ± 1.1 years). Three subjects (2 controls, 1 AscCHD) presented light symptoms of acute mountain sickness (dizziness and headache). During the symptom… More >

Eva Kapravelou¹, Hugo Issa², Gordon Culham³, Martin Hosking¹, Sanjiv K. Gandhi², Shubhayan Sanatani^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 675-680, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016548

Abstract A 4-month-old previously healthy baby was found to be in congestive heart failure with LV dysfunction and a right aortic arch with severe coarctation, undetectable by blood pressure measurements. A cardiac CT and central blood pressure led to the diagnosis of a unique anatomic variant of aortic coarctation. Once diagnosed the patient underwent surgery with an uncomplicated recovery. More >

Huaying He^1,2, Zhiyong Lin^1,2, Yuelan Weng^1,2, Jianjie Zhou^1,2, Man Ye^1,2, Xiaowei Luo^1,2, Qifeng Zhao^1,2,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 655-673, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016054

Abstract Background: To achieve successful management of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) together with pulmonary hypertension (PH), postoperative care, especially feeding care is vital in addition to surgery. Postoperative feeding is comprised of three stages: feeding in the intensive care unit, feeding in the general ward and family feeding, in which the general ward is considered as the “transitional stage”. At present, there is little research on the optimal mode of feeding care for the transitional stage, and there is no universally recognized and accepted protocol. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 114 CHD infants with PH who underwent family-centered (FC) feeding… More >

Yanping Ruan^1,#, Xiangyu Liu^2,#, Haogang Zhu^3,*, Yijie Lu³, Xiaowei Liu¹, Jiancheng Han¹, Lin Sun¹, Ye Zhang¹, Xiaoyan Gu¹, Ying Zhao¹, Lei Li², Suzhen Ran⁴, Jingli Chen⁵, Qiong Yu⁶, Yan Xu⁷, Hongmei Xia⁸, Yihua He^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 529-549, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.015862

Abstract Background: Current studies have confirmed that fetal congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are caused by various factors. However, the quantitative risk of CHD is not clear given the combined effects of multiple factors. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to detect associated factors of fetal CHD using a Bayesian network in a large sample and quantitatively analyze relative risk ratios (RRs). Methods: Pregnant women who underwent fetal echocardiography (N = 16,086 including 3,312 with CHD fetuses) were analyzed. Twenty-six maternal and fetal factors were obtained. A Bayesian network is constructed based on all variables through structural learning and parameter learning methods to… More >

Gabriele Egidy Assenza¹, Biagio Castaldi^2,*, Serena Flocco³, Giovanni Battista Luciani⁴, Giovanni Meliota⁵, Gabriele Rinelli⁶, Ugo Vairo⁵, Silvia Favilli⁷, Board of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.5, pp. 427-431, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016713

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic continues to strike across the world with increasing number of infected patients, severe morbidity and mortality, social life and economy disruption. Universal access to vaccine prophylaxis will be pivotal in controlling this infection and providing individual level protection. However, mismatch between vaccine request and vaccine availability, as well as constraints in logistics of vaccine campaign is creating a transition phase of progressive but still incomplete inclusion of group of individuals in the vaccination process. Selected patients living with chronic and multisystemic disease may present increased propensity of adverse outcome, should Sars-Cov-2 infection develop. In these patients, expedite access… More >

Hiran Thabrew^1,*, Harshali Kumar¹, Vanessa Garcia-Hoyos², Felicity Goodyear-Smith³

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 221-230, 2021, DOI:10.32604/IJMHP.2021.015033

Abstract Objective: Young people with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of psychosocial issues, including anxiety and depression that can affect their medical care and quality of life. This open trial investigated the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of YouthCHAT, a tablet-based screener, designed to identify similar issues to a face to face psychosocial assessment, with young people who have CHD. Methods: YouthCHAT was administered to 44 such young people aged 15–25 years attending a specialist outpatient clinic at a New Zealand tertiary hospital. Key outcomes were (i) acceptability and (ii) feasibility of YouthCHAT, assessed via feedback from young… More >

Dongdong Zheng^1,#, Chi Shen^1,2,#, Wenshi Liu¹, Wenjing Lv¹, Xiaofei Li^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 373-381, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.015260

Abstract Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) is the most common type of PAH and increases morbidity and mortality in patients with CHD. Right heart catheterization (RHC) is the standard method to diagnose PAH. However, RHC is an invasive and complicated method with relatively high cost. Noninvasive, feasible, and cost-efficient methods are urgently needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate three potential biomarkers of PAH-CHD: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), osteopontin (OPN), and suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2). Methods: Plasma samples were collected from patients with CHD (n = 46) and healthy individuals (n = 22) and… More >

Isabella Leo¹, Jolanda Sabatino^1,2,3, Sabrina La Bella¹, Antonio Strangio¹, Iolanda Aquila¹, Concetta Procopio¹, Carmen Anna Maria Spaccarotella¹, Maria Petullà⁴, Salvatore De Rosa^1,2, Ciro Indolfi^1,2,5,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 411-416, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.015062

Abstract We describe a case of a rare congenital heart disorder, scimitar syndrome, diagnosed in an adult woman presenting with dyspnea on exertion, chest pain and recurrent episodes of pulmonary infections. The hallmark of the syndrome is the presence of an enlarged anomalous pulmonary vein draining into the inferior vena cava. Speckle tracking echocardiography, including the often-forgotten atrial strain evaluation, is a sensitive parameter that should be routinely used for a better clinical and prognostic evaluation of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). More >

Matthew I. Jones¹, Matthew Murphy², Eric Rosenthal¹, Kevin P. Walsh^2,3, Damien Kenny^2,3, Shakeel A. Qureshi¹, Gianfranco Butera^1,4,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 197-203, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.015222

Abstract Objectives: We report our experience of using the 65 cm large diameter GORE^® DrySeal Flex Introducer sheath to facilitate transcatheter implantation of the Venus P-valve in the pulmonary position. Background: Transcatheter implantation of pulmonary valves can be difficult due to rigidity of the valve delivery system or the anatomy of the RVOT and pulmonary artery bifurcation and the risk of iatrogenic damage to the tricuspid valve support apparatus. Using long sheaths to pass and protect the tricuspid valve may facilitate the procedure. Methods: Multi-centre registry of patients who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation of the Venus P-valve using the GORE^®… More >

Aparna Kulkarni^1,*, Richard Neugebauer², Shelby Kutty³

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 299-307, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.014495

Abstract Objective: The objective of this analysis is to describe the characteristics and morbidity during hospitalizations among adolescents with congenital heart disease (AdoCHD) from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database. Methods: The PHIS database was queried for all AdoCHD admissions aged 12–18 years (1/1/2004–12/31/2013). Major forms of CHD were identified by their International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision codes, further verified based on their secondary diagnosis and/or procedure codes. Patient characteristics, diagnoses, procedures and vital status were assessed. Results: In total, there were 4,267 adolescents admitted to 42 Children’s Hospitals, 58.3% were males, 24.6% single ventricle (SV) patients, 64.1% bi-ventricle… More >