Percutaneous coronary artery interventions in the paediatric population: Periprocedural and late outcome

Indications and outcomes of cardiac catheterization following congenital heart surgery in children

OBJECTIVES

Our goal was to evaluate the indications for postoperative cardiac catheterizations after paediatric cardiac surgeries and their impact on outcomes.

METHODS

Non-planned cardiac catheterizations performed after congenital heart surgeries and before discharge between January 2013 and July 2019 were reviewed. Hybrid procedures were excluded. Heart defects, illness course, surgeries and catheter procedures were classified. Indications and findings were comprehensively regrouped. Outcomes were analysed.

RESULTS

Cardiac catheterizations were performed on 192 patients (median age 2.3 months, weight 4.2 kg) on median postoperative day 7 (interquartile range, 2-17 days). Patients had defects of great complexity (79.9%), high disease severity index (46.4%), high Aristotle level of surgical complexity (75%) and a high Catheterization RISk Score for Pediatrics category of catheterizations (61%). Catheterizations confirmed 66% of suspected diagnoses. Confirmed diagnoses were more likely to be haemodynamic anomalies than anatomical lesions (81.3% > 53.7%, P < 0.001). Confirmed anatomical lesions were more likely to be residual than new lesions created by surgery (88.5% > 40.4%, P < 0.001). New diagnoses were identified in 36.5% of patients. Catheterization findings led to catheter-based or surgical interventions in 120 (62.5%) patients. Transcatheter interventions were successful (97.7%), immediate (89.5%) and performed across fresh suture lines (27.8%). Repeat catheterizations (76% interventional) were necessary in 25 (13%) patients. A high index of disease severity [odds ratio (OR): 16.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.72-71.17], extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (OR: 10.35, 95% CI: 2.78-38.56), delayed sternal closure (OR: 4.66, 95% CI: 1.25-17.32) and surgically acquired lesions (OR: 3.70, 95% CI: 1.22-11.16) were significant risk factors of 12-month mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative cardiac catheterizations answer both anatomical and haemodynamic questions in high-risk patients with complicated courses and guide subsequent treatment with satisfactory outcomes.

Myocardial ischemia from previously placed autologous pericardial roll conduits

We report two cases of symptomatic cardiac ischemia caused by left coronary artery compression. One was a 16-year-old boy with history of the Ross procedure, aortic root aneurysm, and right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit stenosis. The other was a 32-year-old woman with history of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect repair and a giant right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit aneurysm. In both cases, the left coronary artery was compressed by the previously placed valved autologous pericardial roll right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit. Conduit replacement without direct coronary intervention relieved the coronary ischemia. Early diagnosis and relief of external compression avoided potentially fatal outcomes.

Cangrelor use in a 6-year-old patient undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention after post-surgical myocardial infarction

Cangrelor is an intravenously administered P2Y₁₂ receptor antagonist, which has been approved for adult patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and, due to its unique pharmacokinetics, it allows effective and controllable peri-procedural platelet inhibition. We report the case of a 6-year-old child with anomalous origin of right coronary artery from aortic left coronary sinus, who underwent elective surgical replacement of stenotic and calcified conduit between the right ventricle and the main pulmonary artery. The surgery was complicated by acute myocardial infarction secondary to coronary extrinsic compression. The patient was successfully treated with urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (simultaneous V-stenting) and cangrelor infusion, subsequently switched to clopidogrel therapy.