Sara Bobillo‐Perez^1,2, Joan Sanchez‐de‐Toledo^3,4, Susana Segura², Monica Girona‐Alarcon², Maria Mele⁵, Anna Sole‐Ribalta², Debora Cañizo Vazquez⁶, Iolanda Jordan^2,7, Francisco Jose Cambra^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1066-1077, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12846

Abstract Objective: Three scores have been proposed to stratify the risk of mortality for each cardiac surgical procedure: The RACHS‐1, the Aristotle Basic Complexity (ABC), and the STS‐EACTS complexity scoring model. The aim was to compare the ability to predict mortality and morbidity of the three scores applied to a specific population.
Design: Retrospective, descriptive study.
Setting: Pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in a referral hospital.
Patients: Children under 18 years admitted to the intensive care unit after surgery.
Interventions: None.
Outcome measures: Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were assessed. Morbidity was considered as prolonged length of stay (LOS >… More >

Anna‐Luisa Häcker^1,2, Renate Oberhoffer^1,2, Alfred Hager¹, Peter Ewert¹, Jan Müller^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 945-951, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12845

Abstract Aims: Age‐related cardiovascular diseases are a relevant risk in the aging population of adults with congenital heart diseases (ACHD). Risk factors such as the metabolic syndrome (MetS) impact the risk of increased carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT) and thereby long‐term cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the study was to assess MetS in ACHD and outline a possible association to cIMT.
Methods and Results: In total, 512 ACHD (43.0 ± 9.6 years, 48.9% female) were screened for MetS by the standards of the International Diabetes Federation, and their cIMT by ultrasound from January 2017 to June 2019. MetS was prevalent in 72… More >

Shihai Wang, Jun’an Pan, Bei Xiao, Yongjiang Tang, Jianjun Lan, Xuezhong Zheng, Chao Yang, Dawen Xu, Jiyu Zhang

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 939-944, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12844

Abstract Objectives: We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy in improving cardiac function and functional capacity with device closure of large atrial septal defects (ASD) in senior adults.
Background: Atrial septal defect accounts for about 10% of all congenital heart dis‐ ease. It still remains unclear whether large ASD closure in senior people should be performed or not. Hence we aim to prospectively assess the safety and clinical status of senior patients after transcatheter closure in large ASD.
Patients and interventions: This was a prospective study of all patients aged over 50 years who underwent device closure of a secundum… More >

Arene Butto¹, Laura Mercer‐Rosa¹, Christopher Teng¹, Carrie Daymont², Jonathan Edelson¹, Jennifer Faerber¹, Erika Mejia¹, Chitra Ravishankar¹, Meryl S. Cohen¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1058-1065, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12843

Abstract Objective: Children with single ventricle cardiac disease (SVCD) have poor growth in early life. Tube‐assisted feeding (TF) is used to improve weight gain, but its impact on long‐term growth remains unknown. We sought to compare the longitudinal growth of SVCD patients receiving TF after initial cardiac surgery with those fed entirely by mouth.
Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of SVCD patients who under‐ went initial surgical palliation between 1999 and 2009. We defined TF as the use of nasogastric, gastrostomy, or jejunostomy TF. We compared maximal attained growth z‐scores for each year of life between TF and non‐TF… More >

Mahmoud Alsalehi¹, Aamir Jeewa¹, Andrea Wan¹, Juan Contreras², Shi‐Joon Yoo³, Jessica A. Laks¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 901-923, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12842

Abstract Left main coronary artery ostial atresia (LMCAOA) is a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary arteries. The published literature regarding the current diagnostic and manage‐ ment recommendations are limited. We present three case series of LMCAOA from our institution, including one with a unique association with anomalous origin of left coronary artery (LCA) from pulmonary artery. In addition, this report includes a review of 50 pedi‐ atric and 43 adult cases from literature. The majority of the patients were symptomatic. Sudden cardiac death occurred in 10% of pediatric patients and 7% of adult patients. Almost half of pediatric patients had… More >

Nicholas Y. Tan¹, Christine H. Attenhofer Jost¹, Murray D. Polkinghorne¹, Emily R. Vargas², David O. Hodge², Joseph A. Dearani³, Samuel J. Asirvatham^1,4, Heidi M. Connolly¹, Christopher J. McLeod¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1157-1165, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12841

Abstract Introduction: Mechanisms and risk factors for cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) in Ebstein’s anomaly (EA) are not well understood; hence, we aimed to clarify these in a large cohort of EA patients.
Methods: Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of EA were retrospectively reviewed. Baseline characteristics were compared between patients with and without a prior history of CVA using logistic regression modeling. Cox regression analysis was used to identify predictors of CVA following initial evaluation. CVA incidence from birth and following tricuspid valve surgery were estimated using the Kaplan‐Meier method.
Results: Nine hundred sixty‐eight patients (median age 21.1 years, 41.5% male) were included,… More >

Munes Fares¹, Paul J. Critser², Maria J. Arruda¹, Carolyn M. Wilhelm¹, Mantosh S. Rattan³, Sean M. Lang^2,4, Tarek Alsaied^2,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1166-1175, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12840

Abstract Pharmacologic stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (PSCMR) is a wellestablished and reliable diagnostic tool for evaluation of coronary artery disease in the adult population. Stress imaging overall and PSCMR in particular is less utilized in the pediatric population with limited reported data. In this review, we highlight the potential use of PSCMR in specific pediatric cohorts with congenital and acquired heart disease, and we review the reported experience. A suggested protocol is presented in addition to two case examples of patients with Kawasaki disease where PSCMR aided decision making. More >

Bradley Johnson^1,2, Matthew Buelow^1,2, Michael Earing^1,2, Scott Cohen^1,2, Peter Bartz^1,2, Salil Ginde^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 895-900, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12839

Abstract Objective: As adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) grow older, preoperative screening for coronary artery disease (CAD) may be indicated prior to CHD surgery. Data regarding the indications for preoperative CAD screening in this population are limited. Current practice is to follow guidelines for patients with valvular heart dis‐ ease; however, the risk for CAD in certain congenital heart diagnoses may be higher than the general population. This study aimed to assess the results of preoperative CAD screening in patients prior to CHD surgery.
Design: Retrospective study.
Setting: Single tertiary center.
Patients: Patients ≥35 years that had CHD surgery from… More >

Sok‐Leng Kang¹, Aimee Armstrong², Gregor Krings³, Lee Benson¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1046-1057, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12838

Abstract Three‐dimensional rotational angiography (3D‐RA) enables volumetric imaging through rotation of the C‐arm of an angiographic system and real‐time 3D recon‐ struction during cardiac catheterization procedures. In the field of congenital heart disease (CHD), 3D‐RA has gained considerable traction, owing to its capability for en‐ hanced visualization of spatial relationships in complex cardiac morphologies and real time image guidance in an intricate interventional environment. This review provides an overview of the current applications, strengths, and limitations of 3D‐RA acquisi‐ tion in the management of CHD and potential future directions. In addition, issues of dosimetry, radiation exposure, and optimization strategies will be… More >

Rohit S. Loomba¹, Saul Flores²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1176-1184, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12837

Abstract Objective: The main goal of this study is to examine the variation in vasoactive agent prescription patterns across a large cohort of patients. In addition, we sought to determine the association between the number of vasoactive agents used during admissions and characteristics of admissions utilizing varying numbers of vasoactive agents.
Methods: This was a multi-institutional, cross-sectional study of the pediatric health information system database of patients who underwent congenital heart surgery and received vasoactive agents from 2004 to 2015. The international classification of disease-9 (ICD-9) codes were used to select admissions to those only pertaining to cardiac patients. The vasoactive… More >