Resilience and response of the congenital cardiac network in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic

: The worldwide response to the current COVID-19 pandemic has been focused on how to prevent the disease and to protect the high-risk patient from a potentially lethal infection. Several consensus and guidelines articles have been published dealing with the cardiac patient with systemic hypertension, heart transplant or heart failure. Very little is known about the patients, both in the pediatric as well as in the adult age, with congenital heart disease. The peculiar physiology of the heart with a native, repaired or palliated congenital heart defect deserves a specialized care. Hereby we describe the early recommendations issued by the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease and how the network of the congenital cardiac institutions in Italy reacted to the threat of potential wide spread of the infection among this fragile kind of patient

Endomyocardial Biopsy in Pediatric Myocarditis and Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Tool in Search for a Role

Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is a well-known diagnostic tool for the investigation and treatment of myocardial diseases and remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of myocarditis. Due to its invasiveness, with a complication rate ranging from 1 to 15%, its role in the diagnostic work-up of pediatric heart failure is not well established. The aim of this review is to define the role of EMB as diagnostic technique in the work up of children presenting with severe left ventricular dysfunction with the support of our center experience

Better surgical prognosis for patients with Down Syndrome

[No abstract available

Cardiologia pediatrica. Problematiche cliniche

L'ipertensione polmonare (Pulmonary hypertension - PH) \ue8 una malattia rara nei neonati, nei lattanti ed in tutta l\u2019et\ue0 pediatrica, associata ad una significativa morbidit\ue0 e mortalit\ue0. Nella maggior parte dei pazienti pediatrici, la PH \ue8 idiopatica o associata a cardiopatie congenite; raramente \ue8 associata ad altre condizioni come malattie del tessuto connettivo o cuore polmonare cronico tromboembolico. Dati di incidenza dei Paesi Bassi hanno rivelato un'incidenza annuale ed una prevalenza puntuale (espresse in casi per milione di bambini) di 0.7 e 4.4 per l\u2019ipertensione arteriosa polmonare idiopatica (Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension - IPAH) e 2.2 e 15.6 per l\u2019ipertensione arteriosa polmonare (Pulmonary arterial hypertension - PAH) associata a cardiopatie congenite (congenital heart disease - CHD). La classificazione di Nizza aggiornata della PH include e classifica con maggiore precisione alcune cardiopatie congenite e, in particolare, enfatizza l'ipertensione polmonare persistente del neonato (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn - PPHN) e le pneumopatie della et\ue0 evolutiva come la displasia broncopolmonare (bronchopulmonary dysplasia - BPD) e l\u2019ernia diaframmatica congenita (congenital diaphragmatic hernia - CDH). La gestione della PH in et\ue0 pediatrica rimane impegnativa poich\ue9 le decisioni terapeutiche continuano a dipendere in gran parte dai risultati degli studi clinici effettuati sugli adulti e dall'esperienza clinica degli specialisti pediatrici

Determinants of Cardiopulmonary Functional Improvement After Transcatheter Atrial Septal Defect Closure in Asymptomatic Adults.

none8mixedA.GIARDINI; A.DONTI; S.SPECCHIA; D.PRANDSTRALLER; R.FORMIGARI; G.BRONZETTI; M.BONVICINI; PICCHIO F.A.GIARDINI; A.DONTI; S.SPECCHIA; D.PRANDSTRALLER; R.FORMIGARI; G.BRONZETTI; M.BONVICINI; PICCHIO F

Genetic syndromes and congenital heart defects: how is surgical management affected?

The population of neonates and children with congenital heart defects presents about a 30% prevalence of associated genetic syndrome or additional extracardiac anomalies and may show an increased risk of death or major complication at cardiac surgery. Since a well-defined pattern of combined cardiac and extracardiac anomalies may be found in relation to specific genetic defects, correct understanding of the genetic issues may help improving diagnosis, surgical approach and final outcome of these patients. Hereby we review the medical and surgical issues correlated to the genetic asset in patients with congenital heart defects and genetic syndromes, including trisomy 21, deletion 22q11, Noonan/LEOPARD, Turner, Marfan and Williams syndromes. Recognition of specific surgical risk factors can lead to the preparation of specific diagnostic and perioperative protocols in order to reduce operative mortality and morbidity. © 2008 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery