Jing Wu¹, Li Kuang¹, Lijuan Fu²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 194-202, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12586

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.
Design: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINHAL, and CBMdisc to collect controlled trials on the application of inspiratory muscle training in CHF patients from the establishment of these databases to November 2016. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the quality of literature. Meta-analysis was conducted by software RevMan5.3.
Results: Eight studies involving 302 patients were identified. Meta-analysis indicated that IMT significantly improved PI_max, V_E/VCO₂ slope and dyspnea… More >

Angeline D. Opina, Constance Cephus, Yunfei Wang, Samuel Younan, Douglas Moodie

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 327-333, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12580

Abstract Objective: Studies have shown improvement in lipid levels after institution of lifestyle changes in children enrolled in closely monitored programs. There programs are difficult to mimic in real world clinics. We aim to determine if diet and exercise result in improvement in lipid levels in patients seen in a designated lipid clinic in a real life setting.
Design: Retrospective review of patients followed for dyslipidemia at the Texas Children’s Hospital Lipid Clinic from May 1, 2012 to May 1, 2015. Patients included were seen more than once, had repeat lipid testing, and abnormal baseline lipid levels. Multivariate analysis using mixed… More >

Djoeke Wolff¹, Henricus B. M. van de Wiel², Mirthe E. de Muinck Keizer¹, Joost P. van Melle³, Petronella G. Pieper³, Rolf M. F. Berger¹, Tjark Ebels⁴, Willebrord C. M. Weijmar Schultz⁵

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 319-326, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12576

Abstract Objective: To get an impression of the quality of life (QOL) and sexual well-being in the Fontan population, and to generate hypotheses for future research.
Methods: For this cross-sectional pilot study, questionnaires regarding health-related QOL, sexual function and fertility/pregnancy were completed by 21 patients with a Fontan circulation >16 years old, followed at the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in 8 patients.
Results: Fontan patients scored significantly lower on general health than their healthy peers (t (19)=-3.0, P = .008), whereas their scores on other QOL domains and sexual well-being were comparable to normal… More >

Jeffery B. Anderson¹, Devyani Chowdhury², Jean A. Connor³, Curt J. Daniels⁴, Craig E. Fleishman⁵, Michael Gaies⁶, Jeffrey Jacobs^7,8, John Kugler⁹, Nicolas Madsen¹, Robert H. Beekman⁶, Stacey Lihn¹⁰, Kay Stewart-Huey¹¹, Robert Vincent¹¹, Robert Campbell¹¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 167-180, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12575

Abstract Pediatric cardiovascular services are responding to the dynamic changes in the medical environment, including the business of medicine. The opportunity to advance our pediatric cardiology field through collaboration is now realized, permitting us to define meaningful quality metrics and establish national benchmarks through multicenter efforts. In March 2016, the American College of Cardiology hosted the first Adult Congenital/Pediatric Cardiology Section Congenital Heart Community Day. This was an open participation meeting for clinicians, administrators, patients/parents to propose metrics that optimize patient care and outcomes for a state-of-the-art congenital heart center of the 21st century. Care center collaboration helps overcome the barrier… More >

Michael V. Di Maria¹, Matthew Mulvahill², James Jaggers³, David Dunbar Ivy¹, Adel K. Younoszai¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 311-318, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12574

Abstract Objective: Infants with single ventricle physiology typically undergo cardiac catheterization prior to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis (SCPA) to assess operative suitability. Predictors of poor outcome at sea level include elevated pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), indexed pulmonary vascular resistance (PVRi), age <3 months, significant atrioventricular valve regurgitation, among others. Increased altitude has vasoconstrictive effects on the pulmonary vasculature, which may affect pre-SCPA hemodynamics and outcomes. The goal of this study was to determine the predictive value of pre-SCPA catheterization data with regard to reaching Fontan palliation at altitude.
Design: A retrospective review revealed 150 patients who underwent pre-SCPA catheterization over a 10-year… More >

Kriti Puri¹, Peter Kazembe², Treasure Mkaliainga³, Msandeni Chiume³, Antonio G. Cabrera¹, Amy Sims Sanyahumbi¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 334-341, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12573

Abstract Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world, ranked 151st among 195 countries by the World Bank, with an under-5-year mortality rate of 63 per 1000 live births. There are no previous studies describing the spectrum of inpatient pediatric cardiology consultations in sub-Saharan Africa. A descriptive cohort study was performed at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), a tertiary care hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Demographic, anthropometric, and clinical information for all cardiology consults patients aged 0–18 years admitted to the children’s wards over a period of 1 month was reviewed. Seventy-three consults and 69 echocardiograms were performed on 71 patients… More >

Jia-Wang Xiao, Qi-Guang Wang, Duan-Zhen Zhang, Chun-Sheng Cui, Xiumin Han, Po Zhang, Chuangju Hou, Xian-Yang Zhu

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 305-310, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12572

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and long-term outcomes of percutaneous closure (PC) and surgical repair of ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA).
Methods: Eighty-five consecutive patients with RSVA were included in this study. Patients were considered candidates for PC if they met the criterion, surgical repair was performed on patients who were unsuitable or failed PC. Of them, 30 patients underwent PC, while the other 55 patients had surgical repair.
Results: RSVA was successfully occluded in 29 of 30 patients who were treated by PC. The mean narrowest diameter at the ruptured site was 6.45 ± 1.60 mm… More >

Fariborz Soheili^1,2, Zahra Jalili³, Mahtab Rahbar⁴, Zahed Khatooni¹, Amir Mashayekhi⁵, Hossein Jafari⁶

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 295-304, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12571

Abstract Background: The mutations in GATA4 gene induce inherited atrial and ventricular septation defects, which is the most frequent forms of congenital heart defects (CHDs) constituting about half of all cases.
Method: We have performed High resolution melting (HRM) mutation scanning of GATA4 coding exons of nonsyndrome 100 patients as a case group including 39 atrial septal defects (ASD), 57 ventricular septal defects (VSD) and four patients with both above defects and 50 healthy individuals as a control group. Our samples are categorized according to their HRM graph. The genome sequencing has been done for 15 control samples and 25 samples… More >

Laura S. Kverneland^1,2, Peter Kramer², Stanislav Ovroutski²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 181-193, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12570

Abstract Almost fifty years after its first clinical application, the modified Fontan operation is among the most frequently performed procedures in congenital heart disease surgery in children today. The objective of this review is to systematically summarize the international evolution of outcomes in regard to morbidity and mortality of patients with Fontan palliation. All studies published over the past five decades with more than 100 Fontan patients included were screened. In eligible studies, information concerning preoperative patients’ characteristics, Fontan modifications employed, early mortality, long-term survival and frequency of relevant complications was extracted. Ultimately, thirty-one studies published by the largest surgical centers… More >

Rohollah Fallah Madvari¹, Mohammad Reza Monazzam², Mohsen Niknam Sharak³, Mohsen Mosa Farkhani^4,*

Sound & Vibration, Vol.54, No.2, pp. 127-137, 2020, DOI:10.32604/sv.2020.08158

Abstract Honeycomb structures have recently, replaced with conventional homogeneous materials. Given the fact that sandwich panels containing a honeycomb core are able to adjust geometric parameters, including internal angles, they are suitable for acoustic control applications. The main objective of this study was to obtain a transmission loss curve in a specific honeycomb frequency range along with same overall dimensions and weight. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) in ABAQUS software was used to simulate honeycomb panels, evaluate resonant frequencies, and for acoustic analysis. This model was used to obtain acoustic pressure and then to calculate the sound transmission… More >