Håvard Bjerkeseth Solvin^1,2,5,*, Simone Goa Diab^1,4, Ole Jakob Elle^2,3, Henrik Holmstrøm^1,4, Henrik Brun^2,4,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.5, pp. 551-559, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.031537

Abstract Background: The management of suspected critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) relies on timely echocardiographic diagnosis. The availability of experienced echocardiographers is limited or even non-existent in many hospitals with obstetric units. This study evaluates remote-mentored echocardiography performed by physicians without experience in imaging of congenital heart defects (CHD). Methods: The setup included a pediatric cardiologist in a separate room, guiding a physician without experience in echocardiographic imaging of CHD in the examination of a symptomatic newborn. This remote-mentoring pair was blinded to the diagnosis of the newborn and presented with a simplified patient history. The echocardiographic images were streamed to… More > Graphic Abstract

Yanli Liu^1,2, Fengzhen Han², Jian Zhuang⁴, Yanqiu Ou⁴, Yanji Qu⁵, Yanyan Lin², Weina Zhang², Haiping Wang^3,*, Liping Huang^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.5, pp. 561-570, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.030511

Abstract Background: Research on fetal congenital heart defect (CHD) mostly focuses on etiology and mechanisms. However, studies on maternal complications or pathophysiology are limited. Our objective was to determine whether vascular dysfunction exists in pregnant women carrying a fetus with congenital heart defects. Methods: We conducted a case-control study. 27 cases of pregnant women carrying a fetus with major CHD admitted to our hospital for delivery between April 2021 and August 2022 were selected. Every case was matched with about 2 pregnant complication-free controls without fetal abnormalities. The proangiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors and pregnancy outcomes were compared. Results: The proangiogenic factors… More > Graphic Abstract

Vitaliy Suvorov^1,*, Vladimir Zaitcev¹, Karolina Andrzejczyk²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 365-374, 2022, DOI:10.32604/chd.2022.019126

Abstract Background: Bilateral banding of the branches of the pulmonary artery in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and other duct dependent critical neonatal heart malformations can significantly reduce the incidence of severe complications in the postoperative period, especially in severely unstable patients. In our study we compared different surgical techniques of bilateral pulmonary artery banding (PAB) in respect to their success in balancing systemic and pulmonary blood flow. Methods: We included 44 neonates with a HLHS and congenital heart diseases (CHD) with a functional single ventricle underwent a hybrid operation: bilateral PAB and patent ductus arteriosus stenting. The hybrid… More >

Mohammadrafie Khorgami¹, Ali Sadeghpour Tabaei^2,*, Elio Caruso^3,*, Silvia Farruggio³, Negar Omidi⁴, Maryam Moradian¹, Behzad Mohammadpour Ahranjani⁵, Zahra Khajali6 and Rahele Zamani¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 573-584, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016271

Abstract Background: Most children in need of cardiac pacemakers remain dependent on the function of the permanent from childhood to adulthood. We sought to evaluate and compare the function between epicardial and endocardial pacemakers in pediatric groups with different conditions. Methods: Between 2012 and 2018, this single-canter study evaluated 44 pediatric patients with indications for epicardial or endocardial pacemakers. Results: The 2 groups, at a median age of 5 (0.1–16) years, were compared concerning the characteristics of the leads used (n = 80: bipolar, unipolar, steroid-eluting, and non–steroid-eluting), survival data, and complications. The reason for pacemaker implantation was congenital complete heart… More >

Jacqueline S. Lee^1,2, Angelica Blais^1,2, Julia Jackson¹, Bhavika J. Patel¹, Lillian Lai⁴, Gary Goldfield^1,3, Renee Sananes⁵, Patricia E. Longmuir^1,2,3,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 255-267, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.014628

Abstract Background: Pediatric cardiology patients often experience decreased quality of life (QoL) and higher rates of mental illness, particularly with severe disease, but the relationship between them and comparisons across diagnostic groups are limited. This mixed-methods cross-sectional study assessed the association between QoL anxiety and behavior problems among children with structural heart disease, arrhythmia, or other cardiac diagnoses. Methods: Children (6–14 years, n = 76, 50% female) and their parents completed measures of QoL (PedsQL), behavior (BASC-2, subset of 19 children) and anxiety (MASC-2, children 8+ years). Pearson correlations/regression models examined associations between QoL, behavior and anxiety, controlling for age, sex,… 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 >

Sotiria C. Apostolopoulou^1,*, Stella Brili², Eftihia Sbarouni³, Dimitris Tousoulis², Konstantinos Toutouzas²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.5, pp. 369-375, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.012092

Abstract Objective: Acquired coronary artery disease, initially thought to rarely affect survivors of congenital heart disease, is increasingly recognized in this population, as these patients grow in age and numbers in the recent era. This study reports our experience with coronary artery disease in adults with congenital heart disease and discusses treatment issues and the existing literature. Methods: Retrospective review of all charts of adults with congenital heart disease and acquired coronary artery disease was performed. Patients’ clinical characteristics, diagnosis, risk factors, noninvasive and invasive imaging and management data were recorded. Results: Coronary artery disease was diagnosed at 35–70 of age… More >

Or Bercovich¹, Tal Tirosh-Wagner², Lior Goldberg¹, Amir Vardi³, David Mishali⁴, Gideon Paret^1,#, Yael Nevo-Caspi^1,*,#

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.4, pp. 239-249, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.011576

Abstract Objective: To test the hypothesis that circulating miRNAs-146a, -146b, -155, and -21 reflect the inflammatory state of children following heart surgery, and that they may, therefore, correlate with postoperative parameters. We aimed to quantify miRNAs in blood samples from pediatric patients before and 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery and to evaluate correlations between the miRNA levels and the postoperative course. Setting: PICU. Patients: Forty-two pediatric patients with CHD who underwent cardiac surgery at Safra Children’s Hospital between 2012–2016. Interventions: none. Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes were the postoperative cardiac complications and the secondary outcomes were the length of… More >

Coralie Katharina Dicks¹, Gerhard-Paul Diller¹, Kristina Wasmer², Paul C. Helm^3,4, Ulrike M. M. Bauer^3,4, Helmut Baumgartner¹, Stefan Orwat^1,#, Alicia Jeanette Fischer^1,#,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.2, pp. 117-125, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.011520

Abstract Background: Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Risk stratification for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) remains difficult due to limited data about use and outcome of device therapy in CHD patients in larger community-based cohorts. Methods and results: Out of a dataset with more than 50,000 patients registered at the German National Register for Congenital Heart Defects, 109 patients (median age 35.5; IQR 23.75–46.00), 68 (62%) male) with an ICD were identified and were retrospectively analyzed. Although the number of implantations increased steadily throughout the investigated time interval from 2001 to… More >

Hongyun Ruan¹, Yigang Zhang², Ru Liu³, Xiangjun Yang¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.4, pp. 645-650, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12764

Abstract Objective: The optimal dose of Fasudil is still controversial in congenital heart disease accompanied with severe pulmonary hypertension (CHD‐PAH). This study aimed to compare acute hemodynamic changes after different doses of Fasudil in 60 consecu‐ tive adult patients with CHD‐PAH.
Design: Prospective randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Tertiary cardiology center.
Patients: Adult patients with CHD‐PAH.
Interventions: Patients were randomized to Fasudil 30 or 60 mg.
Outcome Measures: The hemodynamic parameters were measured at baseline and after 30 minutes of Fasudil through right cardiac catheterization. Blood gas results were obtained from the pulmonary artery, right ventricle, right atrium, superior and inferior vena… More >