bims-hylehe Biomed News
on Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
Issue of 2019–03–10
six papers selected by
Richard James, University of Pennsylvania



  1. Heart Lung Circ. 2019 Jan 24. pii: S1443-9506(19)30031-9. [Epub ahead of print]
       BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data describing the day-to-day experiences of adult Australians personally living with or caring for a child born with congenital heart disease (CHD). Such data would be of great practical importance to inform health care initiatives to improve outcomes.
    METHODS: 588 men (38.3 ± 11.9 years) and women (39.6 ± 12.6 years, 78% of respondent patients) living with CHD and 1,091 adult carers (93% mothers) of children with CHD (median age 7.3 [IQR 3.5-13.3 years], 54% male), representing all Australian states and territories, responded to a comprehensive online survey designed and hosted by the Congenital Heart Alliance of Australia and New Zealand. Data on demographic factors, the nature of underlying CHD, interactions with health care services, psychological wellbeing and wider impacts of CHD were collected.
    RESULTS: Most respondents were able to identify the type of CHD they (29% with a simple lesion such atrial septal defect, 17% tetralogy of Fallot) or their child had (21% with a simple lesion, 15% tetralogy of Fallot), whilst 90% cases of CHD had undergone cardiac surgery. Patients with CHD were mostly employed (70%) or studying (8.8%), whilst 9.1% were receiving disability benefits. In terms of transition care, 52% of adult patients had been referred by a paediatric to adult cardiologist with 84% still actively managed by a specialist. Overall, 31% of patients with CHD sought emergency care and required >10 days sick leave in the past 12 months. Moreover, 71% and 55% of patients, respectively, reported recent feelings of anxiety/worry or depressive thoughts related to their CHD (61% sought professional assistance). Consistent with high levels of disruption to daily living, 59% of carer respondents (24%>10 days) had taken carer's leave in the past 12 months.
    CONCLUSIONS: These contemporary, self-reported, Australian data reveal the burden of living and caring for CHD from an adult's perspective. Survey respondents highlighted the potential disconnect between paediatric and adult CHD services and suggest an important, unmet need for dedicated health services/community care to cost-effectively manage high levels of health care utilisation coupled with associated psychological distress.
    Keywords:  Carers; Congenital heart disease; Health service use; Psychological distress
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2018.12.009
  2. Congenit Heart Dis. 2019 Mar 05.
       OBJECTIVE: Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients who undergo cardiac surgery are at risk for poor outcomes, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (ECMO) and death. Prior studies have demonstrated risk factors for mortality, but have not fully examined risk factors for ECMO or death without ECMO (DWE). We sought to identify risk factors for ECMO and DWE in adults undergoing congenital heart surgery in tertiary care children's hospitals.
    DESIGN: All adults (≥18 years) undergoing congenital heart surgery in the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database between 2003 and 2014 were included. Patients were classified into three groups: ECMO-free survival, requiring ECMO, and DWE. Univariate analyses were performed, and multinomial logistic regression models were constructed examining ECMO and DWE as independent outcomes.
    SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospitals.
    RESULTS: A total of 4665 adult patients underwent ACHD surgery in 39 children's hospitals with 51 (1.1%) patients requiring ECMO and 64 (1.4%) patients experiencing DWE. Of the 51 ECMO patients, 34 (67%) died. Increasing patient age, surgical complexity, diagnosis of single ventricle heart disease, preoperative hospitalization, and the presence of noncardiac complex chronic conditions (CCC) were risk factors for both outcomes. Additionally, low and medium hospital ACHD surgical volume was associated with an increased risk of DWE in comparison with ECMO.
    CONCLUSIONS: There are overlapping but separate risk factors for ECMO support and DWE among adults undergoing congenital heart surgery in pediatric hospitals.
    Keywords:  adult congenital heart disease; congenital heart surgery; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12758
  3. Pediatr Cardiol. 2019 Mar 04.
      The frequency of newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD) is approximately 1% in the general population; however, the recurrence rate of CHD in mothers with CHD differs in ethnicity and reports. We therefore aimed to determine the prevalence of CHD among neonates born to mothers with CHD in our institute in Japan. We reviewed the medical charts of 803 neonates delivered by 529 women with CHD at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center from 1982 to 2016. They included isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD,31.4%), isolated atrial septal defect (ASD, 23.3%), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF,10.6%). We defined CHD in neonates as being diagnosed within 1 month of birth. We estimated that the average rate of the CHD recurrence was 3.1%. The recurrence ratios in each maternal CHD were 8.6%, 7.1%, 6.2%, 4.8%, 3.6%, and 1.5% for PS, CoA, TOF, atrioventricular septal defect, VSD, and ASD, respectively. The rate of CHD in offsprings whose mothers have CHD was 3 times greater than that of mothers with healthy hearts. Almost half of neonates with CHD had the same phenotype as their mother in our series. Especially, PS and CoA were closely related to the type of maternal CHD.
    Keywords:  Heart disease; Offspring; Pregnancy; Recurrence ratio
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-019-02083-6
  4. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2019 Mar 05. 1474515119835434
       OBJECTIVE:: The objective of this study was to measure the level of empowerment and identify its correlates in young persons with congenital heart disease.
    STUDY DESIGN:: Patients aged 14-18 years with congenital heart disease, and under active follow-up in one of four paediatric cardiology centres in Sweden were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. A total of 202 young persons returned the questionnaires. Patient empowerment was measured with the Gothenburg Young Persons Empowerment Scale that allows the calculation of total and subscale scores. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were undertaken to analyse possible correlates, including: sex, age, health behaviours, knowledge of congenital heart disease, quality of life, patient-reported health, congenital heart disease complexity, transition readiness and illness perception.
    RESULTS:: The mean empowerment score was 54.6±10.6 (scale of 15-75). Univariate analyses showed that empowerment was associated with age, quality of life, transition readiness, illness perception, health behaviours and patient-reported health (perceived physical appearance, treatment anxiety, cognitive problems and communication issues). However, multivariable linear regression analyses identified that only transition readiness (β=0.28, P<0.001) and communication (β=0.36, P<0.001) had a positive association with patient empowerment. These variables were also significantly associated with the subscale scores of the empowerment scale of knowledge and understanding ( P<0.001), shared decision-making ( P<0.001) and enabling others ( P<0.01). The overall models' explained variance ranged from 8% to 37%.
    CONCLUSION:: Patient empowerment was associated with transition readiness and fewer problems communicating. While it is not possible to establish the directionality of the associations, interventions looking to increase empowerment could benefit from using these variables (or measurements) for evaluation purposes.
    Keywords:  Adolescents; congenital; correlates; heart defects; patient empowerment; young persons
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/1474515119835434
  5. Heart. 2019 Mar 02. pii: heartjnl-2018-314183. [Epub ahead of print]
       BACKGROUND: Fenestration in the Fontan circulation potentially liberates patients from factors leading to cardiovascular remodelling, through stable haemodynamics with attenuated venous congestion. We hypothesised that a fenestrated Fontan procedure would possess chronic haemodynamic advantages beyond the preload preservation.
    METHODS: We enrolled 35 patients with fenestrated Fontan with a constructed pressure-volume relationship under dobutamine (DOB) infusion and/or transient fenestration occlusion (TFO). Despite the use of antiplatelets and anticoagulants, natural closure of fenestration was confirmed in 11 patients. Cardiovascular properties in patients with patent fenestration (P-F) were compared with those in patients with naturally closed fenestration (NC-F). To further delineate the roles of fenestration, paired analysis in patients with P-F was performed under DOB or rapid atrial pacing with/without TFO.
    RESULTS: As compared with P-F, patients with NC-F had a higher heart rate (HR), smaller ventricular end-diastolic area, better ejection fraction and higher central venous pressure, with higher pulmonary resistance. While this was similarly observed after DOB infusion, DOB markedly augmented diastolic and systolic ventricular stiffness in patients with NC-F compared with patients with P-F. As a mirror image of the relationship between patients with P-F and NC-F, TFO markedly reduced preload, suppressed cardiac output, and augmented afterload and diastolic stiffness. Importantly, rapid atrial pacing compromised these haemodynamic advantages of fenestration.
    CONCLUSIONS: As compared with patients with NC-F, patients with P-F had robust haemodynamics with secured preload reserve, reduced afterload and a suppressed beta-adrenergic response, along with a lower HR at baseline, although these advantages had been overshadowed, or worsened, by an increased HR.
    Keywords:  Fontan physiology; congenital heart disease; congenital heart surgery; heart failure
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2018-314183
  6. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2019 Mar 08.
      Unfavorable neurological outcome in children after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in infancy is frequent. However, few studies have investigated the development of these patients using comprehensive developmental tests and the feasibility of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd Edition (BSID-III) has not been reported for this population. In this cross-sectional pilot study, we assessed the cognitive, language, and motor development in infants after cardiopulmonary resuscitation of ≥ 5 min with the BSID-III at the age of 12 or 24 months, depending on recruitment age. For analysis, 11 patients with in-hospital (n = 8) and out-of-hospital (n = 3) cardiac arrest were included. BSID-III results could not be quantified in three patients because of visual/hearing and/or motor impairment. In patients with quantifiable scores, 50.0% scored average in composite BSID-III scores, while the other 50.0% showed developmental delays, scoring distinctly below average. We conclude that the BSID-III is feasible for developmental assessment in the majority of the study population, but the use of instruments suitable for hearing/visually impaired and/or severely disabled infants is crucial to avoid biased results. Accurate characterization of developmental deficits is important to facilitate early identification and therapy of deficits.
    Keywords:  Bayley Scales of Infant Development; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Congenital heart disease; Developmental assessment; Neurological outcome
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-019-09613-7