Drug Resistant Fetal Arrhythmia in Obstetric Cholestasis

Obstetric cholestasis (OC) is a pregnancy specific liver disease characterized by increased levels of bile acid (BA) and pruritus. Raised maternal BA levels could be associated with intrauterine death, fetal distress, and preterm labor and also alter the rate and rhythm of cardiomyocyte contraction and may cause fetal arrhythmic events. We report a case of drug resistant fetal supraventricular tachycardia and concomitant OC. Conclusion. If there are maternal OC and concomitant fetal arrhythmia, possibility of the resistance to antiarrhythmic treatment should be kept in mind

An Unusual Case of Heteropagus: Autosite With a Complex Cardiac Malformation

Asymmetrical form of conjoined twinning (heteropagus) is an extremely rare event with an incidence of 1–2 million live births. The incomplete component of heteropagus, namely, parasite, usually consists of rudimentary organs. Therefore, the autosite component of heteropagus can be separated successfully. A wide spectrum of associated congenital cardiac malformations, which are usually minor, has been described in autosites. However, a single-ventricle heart anomaly in the autosite has been reported in a very few cases. We report an unusual case of heteropagus with a complex cardiac malformation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third heteropagus case in the literature with a single-ventricle heart in the autosite

Serum ibuprofen levels of extremely preterm infants treated prophylactically with oral ibuprofen to prevent patent ductus arteriosus

<p>The aim of this study was to explore the effects of early oral ibuprofen administration on the incidence of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) and define the association between serum ibuprofen levels and ductal closure.</p><p>Preterm infants with a gestational age of <28 weeks and/or birth weight of <1,000 g were randomized either to the intervention (ibuprofen prophylaxis) or control group. The intervention group received oral ibuprofen 10 mg/kg within 12-24 h after birth followed by 5 mg/kg at 24 and 48 h. Serum ibuprofen levels after the treatment were analyzed in the intervention group, and the incidence of hsPDA and complication rates were compared between two groups.</p><p>Nineteen infants who received one course (three doses) of prophylactic ibuprofen in the intervention group and 17 infants in the control group who underwent an echocardiographic examination on the fourth day of life were analyzed. hsPDA was observed in five (26 %) infants in the intervention group and ten (58 %) infants in the control group (p = 0.09). In the intervention group two infants experienced gastrointestinal bleeding two infants had spontaneous intestinal perforation, and two infants developed acute kidney failure. Mean serum ibuprofen level was 28.7 +/- 16.9 mg/L in the intervention group, and there was no correlation between ibuprofen level obtained on the fourth day and ductal closure.</p><p>Oral ibuprofen prophylaxis reduces the rates of hsPDA even it is not statistically significant. The ductal closure rate did not correlate with serum ibuprofen levels. Due to high prevalence of adverse events observed, our data do not support the use of oral ibuprofen for prophylaxis of hsPDA.</p>