Katlyn Elizabeth McGrattan^1,2,3,4, Heather McGhee^2,3, Allan DeToma⁵, Elizabeth G. Hill⁵, Sinai C. Zyblewski⁶, Maureen Lefton-Greif^7,8,9, Lucinda Halstead^1,2, Scott M. Bradley¹⁰, Bonnie Martin-Harris^1,2,3,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 382-388, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12456

Abstract Background: Deficits in swallowing physiology are a leading morbidity for infants with functional single ventricles and systemic outflow tract obstruction following stage 1 palliation. Despite the high prevalence of this condition, the underlying deficits that cause this post-operative impairment remain poorly understood.
Objective: Identify the physiologic correlates of dysphagia in infants with functional single ventricles and systemic outflow tract obstruction following stage 1 palliative surgery.
Methods: Postoperative fiberoptic laryngoscopies and videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) were conducted sequentially on infants with functional single ventricles following stage 1 palliative surgery. Infants were dichotomized as having normal or impaired laryngeal function based on… More >

Koert de Waal¹, Nilkant Phad¹, Nick Collins², Andrew Boyle²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 364-372, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12454

Abstract Background: Sustained volume load due to a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) leads to cardiac remodeling. Remodeling changes can become pathological and are associated with cardiovascular disease progression. Data on remodeling changes in preterm infants is not available.
Methods: Clinical and echocardiography data were collected in preterm infants <30 weeks gestation on postnatal day 3 and then every 7–14 days until closure of the ductus arteriosus. Images were analyzed using conventional techniques and speckle tracking. Remodeling changes of infants with prolonged (>14 days) exposure to a PDA were compared to control infants without a PDA.
Results: Thirty out of 189 infants… More >

Waldemar F. Carlo¹, James F. Cnota², Robert J. Dabal³, Jeffrey B. Anderson²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 315-321, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12442

Abstract Objective: The National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) was established in 2008 to improve outcomes of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) during the interstage period. They evaluated changes in patient variables and practice variation between early and late eras.
Design: Data including demographic, operative, discharge, and follow-up variables from the first 100 patients (6/2008–1/2010) representing 18 centers were compared with the most recent 100 patients (1/2014–11/2014) from these same centers.
Results: Prenatal diagnosis increased from 69% to 82% (P = .05). There were no differences in gestational age or weight at Norwood. A composite of any preoperative risk factor… More >

Michael E. Fenster^1‡, John S. Hokanson²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.5, pp. 771-775, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12651

Abstract Objective: To determine the clinical findings and management implications of echocardiograms performed on infants with murmurs in the nursery.
Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted from January 2008 through December 2015. Patients in the study were followed by chart review for up to 5 years. In addition, a survey of nursery providers was conducted in February 2016.
Setting: A single community hospital associated with a university.
Patients: All 26 573 infants who received care in the normal newborn nursery were eligible for inclusion in the study. Infants with echocardiograms were analyzed. The survey was sent by e‐mail to all 135 physicians… More >

Jennifer P. Lundine^1,2, Robert Dempster^3,4, Kirby Carpenito⁵, Holly Miller‐Tate⁵, Wendelin Burdo‐Hartman^4,6, Elizabeth Halpin², Omar Khalid^4,5

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.5, pp. 706-712, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12636

Abstract Background: Swallowing dysfunction is a known complication for infants with complex congenital heart disease (CHD), but few studies have examined swallowing outcomes following the hybrid procedure for stage 1 palliation in children with single ventricle physiology.
Objectives: (1) Identify the incidence of aspiration in all infants with single ventricle physiology who underwent the hybrid procedure and (2) Compare results of clinical bedside and instrumental swallowing evaluations to examine the predictive value of a less invasive swallowing assessment for this population of high‐risk infants.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort chart review study. All patients with single‐ventricle physiology who underwent the… More >

Doris P. Yimgang¹, John D. Sorkin², Charles F. Evans³, Danielle S. Abraham¹, Geoffrey L. Rosenthal^1,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 533-540, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12622

Abstract Introduction: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are commonly prescribed medications after the Norwood procedure. There are little data that can be used to determine if angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors improve interstage outcomes in children with single ventricle defects. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and interstage failure among infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative database (collected between 2008 and 2015). We used logistic regression models to assess the exposure-outcome associations and propensity score matching… More >

Parthak Prodhan¹, Xinyu Tang², Jeffrey Gossett², Brandon Beam³, Janet Simsic⁴, Nancy Ghanayem⁵, Nahed O. ElHassan⁶

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 519-527, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12610

Abstract Objective: Different feeding strategies have been suggested to improve growth and survival of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome following stage 1 palliation. The study objective was to assess hospital mortality following stage 1 palliation among infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who had two feeding modalities, gastrostomy tube vs no gastrostomy tube.
Design: Retrospective study design.
Setting: Multicenter pediatric heath information system database.
Patient: About 4287 patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who underwent stage 1 Norwood procedure from 2004 through 2013. Infants who had gastrostomy tube with or without fundoplication procedure were identified and their clinical characteristics were… More >

Natasha L. Lopez, Charitha Gowda, Carl H. Backes, Deipanjan Nandi, Holly Miller-Tate, Samantha Fichtner, Robin Allen, Jamie Stewart, Clifford L. Cua

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 512-518, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12602

Abstract Introduction: Neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) are at increased risk for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Initial hospital outcomes are well described, but minimal midterm data exist. Goal of this study was to compare outcomes of HLHS infants with NEC (HLHS-NEC) to HLHS without NEC (HLHS-nNEC) during the interstage period.
Methods: Data were reviewed from 55 centers using the NPC-QIC database. Case-control study with one HLHS-NEC matched to HLHS-nNEC neonates in a 1:3 ratio based on institutional site, type of surgical repair, and gestational age ±1 week was performed. Baseline demographics as well as outcome data were recorded. The t… More >

Shahnawaz M. Amdani¹, Muhammad Umair M. Mian², Ron L. Thomas³, Robert D. Ross⁴

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 499-505, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12601

Abstract Aim: To evaluate predictors of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), laboratory and echocardiographic measures of PH were analyzed.
Methods: A retrospective review of all infants and children< 2 years of age with PH from January 2011 to August 2016 was conducted. Correlations were determined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Differences in characteristics between survivors and nonsurvivors were analyzed and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated.
Results: Of 56 patients, the majority were extremely premature; of African American ethnicity; and had bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Patients who died were more likely to have underlying congenital heart disease; have a… More >

Yu Zhu^1*, Yong Chen^1*, Yu Feng², Di Yu¹, Xuming Mo¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 271-281, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12567

Abstract We conducted this meta-analysis to address the open question of a possible association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and congenital heart defects (CHDs) in infants. We conducted a comprehensive computerized search of PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase databased (January 1980 through August 2017). We assessed the association between maternal BMI and the risk for congenital heart defects in their offspring. Study-specific relative risk estimates were polled according to random-effect or fixed-effect models. From 2567 citations, a total of 13 case-control studies and 4 cohort studies were selected for a meta-analysis, including more than 1 150 000 cases.… More >