Catheterization for Congenital Heart Disease Adjustment for Risk Method II

Comparative Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Registry Analysis From the United States and Low- and Middle-Income Countries

BACKGROUND

Disparities in congenital heart disease care exist between high-income and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), likely extending to congenital cardiac catheterization (CCC).

OBJECTIVES

This study compares patient characteristics and outcomes of CCC in the U.S.-based Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Project on Outcomes (C3PO) and the International Quality Improvement Collaborative-Congenital Heart Disease Catheterization Registry (IQIC-CHDCR) from LMICs.

METHODS

The analysis included all CCC procedures recorded in C3PO (19 sites) and IQIC-CHDCR (19 sites) from 2019 to 2022. Patient and procedural characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 28,957 C3PO and 6,485 IQIC-CHDCR cases were analyzed. Single ventricle patients accounted for 30% of C3PO and 13% of International Quality Improvement Collaborative (IQIC), with high-risk procedures (procedural risk in congenital cardiac catheterization 3-5) performed more frequently in C3PO (42% vs 23%). Median procedure duration was longer in C3PO (1.5 vs 0.8 hours). Clinically meaningful adverse event (CMAE) rates were higher in C3PO (3.9% vs 1.5%), though mortality was comparable (0.5% vs 0.7%). Risk-adjusted analysis showed a lower ratio in IQIC for both CMAE (0.50; 95% CI: 0.39-0.62) and severity level 4/5 events (0.71; 95% CI: 0.52-0.96). However, failure-to-rescue rates were higher in IQIC (7.1% vs 2.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

The harmonized databases facilitated direct comparison of CCC practices, revealing more complex patients and resource-intensive procedures in C3PO, while the IQIC cohort demonstrated lower CMAE rates but a slightly higher mortality rate. These findings emphasize the need for further risk adjustment modeling for LMICs and identify areas to enhance global resource access and patient outcomes.

Evaluating Procedural Performance: A Composite Outcome for Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closures

Background

Technical success (TS) and procedural safety (PS) have been reported individually for transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closures. A composite procedural performance (PP) metric as a patient-centered strategy has not been developed or studied.

Methods

A multicenter expert working group created PP metrics for ASD and PDA device closures as a composite of TS and PS. TS criteria were defined and categorized into 3 classes (optimal, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory). PS was defined using established adverse event (AE) definitions from the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Project on Outcomes (C3PO) registry. PP was divided into 3 outcome classes (I to III). Retrospective C3PO data were collected for all cases of isolated ASD and PDA closure from 2014 through 2017. Exclusion criteria included complex congenital heart disease, significant comorbidities, ASD patients with multiple defects or ≥2 deficient rims, and PDA patients weighing <6 kg or with pulmonary hypertension. Factors correlating with class III (suboptimal) PP were analyzed.

Results

A total of 542 ASD and 688 PDA closure cases were included. Most ASD cases (99%) had optimal or satisfactory TS while 1% had a high severity AE. Class III PP occurred in 2% of ASD cases, mostly due to new mitral valve insufficiency. There were no identified patient or procedural factors associated with class III PP for ASD closures. Optimal or satisfactory TS occurred in 98% of PDA cases, with high severity AEs in <1%. Class III PP occurred in 2% of PDA cases, predominantly due to new arch obstruction, and was associated with younger age (P < .001) and lower weight (P = .001).

Conclusions

This study introduces PP as a composite variable to comprehensively measure outcomes of standard-risk ASD and PDA device closure. The incorporation of both TS and PS aims to better reflect patient outcomes compared to individual measurements alone. PP may serve as a valuable tool for identifying areas for further investigation and quality improvement.

Association between procedure duration and adverse events in congenital cardiac catheterization

BACKGROUND

Procedure duration is an important predictor of patient outcomes in surgery. However, the relationship between procedure duration and adverse events in congenital cardiac catheterization is largely unexplored.

METHODS

All cases entered into the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Project on Outcomes from 2014 to 2017 were included. Cases were ordered from shortest to longest case length, minus time spent managing adverse events, for each case type. The outcomes, Level 3bc/4/5 and 4/5 adverse event rates, were calculated for cases above and below the 75th percentile for case length. To identify an independent relationship between case length and outcomes, the case length percentile was added to the CHARM II risk model.

RESULTS

Among 14,704 catheterizations, longer cases (>75th percentile for case length) had Level 4/5 rates that were 2.2% and 2.7% compared to cases ≤75th percentile with adverse event rates of 0.9% and 1.4% for diagnostic and interventional cases, respectively. Level 3bc/4/5 rates were 5.0% and 8.4% in longer cases compared to 2.4% and 5.4% for diagnostic and interventional cases, respectively. After adding case length to the CHARM II risk model, case length 50th-75th percentile had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.4, 75th-90th percentile an OR of 1.56, and >90th percentile an OR of 2.24 as compared to cases with case length <50th percentile (p ≤ 0.001 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Longer case lengths are associated with clinically important and life-threatening adverse events in congenital cardiac catheterization, even after accounting for known risk factors. Case length may be an important target for future quality improvement work.

Congenital heart disease cardiac catheterization at Uganda Heart Institute, a 12-year retrospective study of immediate outcomes

BACKGROUND

Cardiac catheterization is an invasive diagnostic and treatment tool for congenital heart disease (CHD) with potential complications.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the immediate outcomes of patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for CHD at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI).

METHODS

The study was a retrospective chart review of 857 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for CHD at UHI from 1st February 2012 to 30th June 2023. Precardiac catheterization clinical data, procedure details, and post-procedure data were recorded. The statistical software SPSS was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

We studied 857 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for CHD at UHI. Females comprised 62.8% (n = 528). The age range was 3 days to 64 years, with a mean of 5.1 years (SD 7.4). Advanced heart failure was present in 24(2.8%) of the study participants. The most common procedures were patent ductus arteriosus device closure (n = 500, 58.3%), diagnostic catheterization (n = 194, 22.5%), and balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (n = 114, 13.0%). PDA device closure had 89.4% optimal results while BPV had 75.9% optimal performance outcome. Adverse events occurred in 52 out of 857 study participants (6.1%). Clinically meaningful adverse events (CMAES) occurred in 3.9%, (n = 33), high severity adverse events in 2.9% (n = 25) and mortality in 1.5% (n = 13). Advanced heart failure at the time of cardiac catheterization, was significantly associated with clinically meaningful adverse events (OR 52 p-value < 0.001) and mortality (OR 564, p value < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Many patients with CHD have benefited from the cardiac catheterization program at UHI with high optimal procedure outcome results. Patients with advanced heart failure at the time of cardiac catheterization have less favorable outcomes emphasizing the need for early detection and early intervention.