Diagnóstico fetal de ventana aortopulmonar con transposición de grandes arterias: lecciones aprendidas

Aortopulmonary window is a very rare conotruncal congenital malformation. This congenital heart defect could be associated with another intracardiac or arterial defects like interrupted aortic arch and tetralogy of Fallot. Exceptionally this coexists with transposition of great arteries.La ventana aortopulmonar es una malformación congénita conotroncal poco frecuente. Ocasionalmente puede asociarse a otros defectos arteriales o intracardíacos como interrupción de arco aórtico y tetralogía de Fallot. Excepcionalmente coexiste con transposición de grandes arterias

Fluid overload as a predictor of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients following congenital heart surgery

Background: Patients undergoing congenital heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass frequently require the administration of intravenous fluids and blood products due to hemodynamic instability. Correctly performed fluid resuscitation can revert the state of tissue hypoperfusion in the different organs. However, excessive fluid administration and acute kidney injury may promote fluid overload (FO) and increase the risk of complications, hospital stay, and mortality. Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of pediatric patients with congenital heart surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU), Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, from July 2018 to December 2019. Fluid overload was quantified every 24 hours during the first 3 days of stay at the PCICU and expressed as a percentage. We recorded PCICU stay, days of mechanical ventilation, and mortality as outcome variables. Results: We included 130 patients. The main factors associated with fluid overload were age < 1 year (p < 0.001), weight < 5 kg (p < 0.001), and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (p = 0.003). Patients with fluid overload ≥ 5% had higher inotropic score (p < 0.001), higher oxygenation index (p < 0.001), and longer mechanical ventilation time (p < 0.001). Fluid overload ≥ 5% was associated with higher postoperative mortality (odds ratio 89, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Fluid overload can be used as a prognostic factor in the evolution of pediatric patients undergoing congenital heart surgery since it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality

Total anomalous connection of pulmonary veins to the portal vein. Value of multislice angiotomography. Report on three cases

Objective: Present tomographic data from the patients with emphasis on structural characteristics. Material and method: Retrospective study of three patients in whom the four pulmonary veins connected to the portal vein. This malformation is one of the varieties of total anomalous connection of pulmonary veins. In any of them, the pulmonary veins do not connect to the left atrium and blood from the lung reaches the right atrium directly or through its tributary systems. In such cases, arterialized pulmonary blood and systemic venous blood mix at the site of the anomalous connection and a short circuit is formed from the right atrium to the left atrium through an interauricular communication, allowing patients to survive. Total anomalous connection of pulmonary veins accounts for between 0.4 and 2.0% of congenital heart diseases: it occurs in 6.8 of every 100,000 individuals. It is diagnosed in 68% of patients in neonatal stage, which reflects the severity of the condition. The infracardiac variety of total anomalous connection of pulmonary veins accounts for between 15 and 26% if all its varieties. Multislice angiotomography allows us to view the blood vessels and adjacent organs under consideration and obtain high-definition anatomic information. In the patients in this study, total anomalous connection of pulmonary veins to the portal vein was viewed with three-dimensional volumetric tomographic reconstructions and their correlation with ultrasonography studies

Mexican registry of pediatric cardiac surgery. First report

Background: Currently, there is a spreading worldwide tendency to characterize health issues and to propose alternative solutions via the creation of computerized databases. The aim of this study was to present the results in a computerized database of pediatric cardiac surgeries developed under the auspices of the Mexican Association of Specialists in Congenital Heart Diseases (Asociación Mexicana de Especialistas en Cardiopatías Congénitas A.C) and coordinated by the collegiate group of Pediatric Cardiology and Surgery as petitioned by the National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals Coordinating Commission. Methods: We analyzed all cases registered in the database during a 1-year observation period (August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012) by all major Health Ministry-dependent institutes and hospitals offering surgical services related to pediatric cardiopathies to the non-insured population. Results: Seven institutions participated voluntarily in completing the database. During the analyzed period, 943 surgeries in 880 patients with 7% reoperations (n = 63) were registered. Thirty-eight percent of the surgeries were performed in children <1 year of age. The five most common cardiopathies were patent ductus arteriosus (n = 96), ventricular septal defect (n = 86), tetralogy of Fallot (n = 72), atrial septal defect (n = 68), and aortic coarctation (n = 54). Ninety percent of surgeries were elective and extracorporeal circulation was used in 62% of surgeries. Global mortality rate was 7.5% with the following distribution in the RACHS-1 score categories: 1 (n = 4, 2%), 2 (n = 19, 6%), 3 (n = 22, 8%), 4 (n = 12, 19%), 5 (n = 1, 25%), 6 (n = 6, 44%), and non-classifiable (n = 2, 9%). Conclusions: This analysis provides a representative view of the surgical practices in cardiovascular diseases in the pediatric population at the national non-insured population level. However, incorporating other health institutions to the national registry database will render a more accurate panorama of the national reality in surgical practices in the population <18 years of age

Recommendations for developing effective and safe paediatric and congenital heart disease services in low-income and middle-income countries: a public health framework

The global burden of paediatric and congenital heart disease (PCHD) is substantial. We propose a novel public health framework with recommendations for developing effective and safe PCHD services in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). This framework was created by the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Cardiac Surgery working group in collaboration with a group of international rexperts in providing paediatric and congenital cardiac care to patients with CHD and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in LMICs. Effective and safe PCHD care is inaccessible to many, and there is no consensus on the best approaches to provide meaningful access in resource-limited settings, where it is often needed the most. Considering the high inequity in access to care for CHD and RHD, we aimed to create an actionable framework for health practitioners, policy makers and patients that supports treatment and prevention. It was formulated based on rigorous evaluation of available guidelines and standards of care and builds on a consensus process about the competencies needed at each step of the care continuum. We recommend a tier-based framework for PCHD care integrated within existing health systems. Each level of care is expected to meet minimum benchmarks and ensure high-quality and family centred care. We propose that cardiac surgery capabilities should only be developed at the more advanced levels on hospitals that have an established foundation of cardiology and cardiac surgery services, including screening, diagnostics, inpatient and outpatient care, postoperative care and cardiac catheterisation. This approach requires a quality control system and close collaboration between the different levels of care to facilitate the journey and care of every child with heart disease. This effort was designed to guide readers and leaders in taking action, strengthening capacity, evaluating impact, advancing policy and engaging in partnerships to guide facilities providing PCHD care in LMICs