Congenital Heart Defects in Europe

Analysis of the therapeutic effect of right mid-axillary approach in the surgical treatment of ASD and VSD in children

BACKGROUND

To compare the therapeutic effects of right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy (RVIAT) and Standard Median Sternotomy (SMS) in the repair of atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD), and to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of right subaxillary incision technique in the surgical treatment of common congenital heart disease (CHD) in children.

METHODS

Data of children diagnosed with ASD repair or VSD repair at our center from September 2019 to September 2022 were collected. Based on propensity score matching, 214 children (107 in the RVIAT group and 107 in the SMS group) who completed ASD repair surgery and 242 children (121 in the RVIAT group and 121 in the SMS group) who completed VSD repair surgery were selected for the study. The perioperative and follow-up data of the two surgical approaches were compared to evaluate clinical efficacy.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two surgical approaches in terms of surgical time, aortic occlusion time, total amount of ultrafiltration fluid, ICU stay time, and hospital stay; The intraoperative blood loss and total postoperative drainage fluid in the RVIAT group were lower than those in the SMS group (p < 0.05); The incidence of postoperative thoracic deformities in the SMS group is higher than that in the RVIAT group.

CONCLUSION

The safety and effectiveness of the two approaches are similar, but RVIAT has less intraoperative bleeding, less postoperative drainage fluid and tube time, and better concealment and cosmetic effects, which is worthy of further clinical promotion and application.

Assisted reproductive technology and the risk of fetal congenital heart disease: insights from a tertiary-care referral center

PURPOSE

To investigate whether congenital heart diseases exhibit higher rates in pregnancies achieved through assisted reproductive technology (ART) compared to natural conception.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, multinomial logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship between categories of congenital heart diseases and three conception groups (IVF, ICSI, and natural pregnancies). The main outcome measures are risks of congenital heart disease categories in IVF and ICSI groups using the natural group as reference. We selected fetuses referred for fetal echocardiography to IRCCS Policlinico Sant'Orsola, Bologna, between January 2005 and November 2023, diagnosed with congenital heart diseases.

RESULTS

We categorized the congenital heart diseases into six groups based on anatomical and embryological criteria. The estimated risk of left ventricular outflow tract, valvular, conotruncal, and atrioventricular septal defects was lower in the IVF group compared to natural conception. The estimated risk of valvular and atrioventricular septal defects was lower in the ICSI group vs natural. Conversely, the risk for right heart anomalies was higher both in the IVF and ICSI groups compared to natural conception. Heart rhythm diseases were more frequent in IVF pregnancies. When comparing ART methods, valvular defects, conotruncal defects, and right heart anomalies were more frequently observed in the ICSI group, while atrioventricular septal defects were more common in the IVF group.

CONCLUSION

Significant differences were found in the occurrence of congenital heart diseases in pregnancies conceived through IVF and ICSI, versus those conceived naturally, underscoring the importance of further studying the underlying mechanisms of these associations.

Learning cardiac embryology on YouTube-What videos are there to view?

In modern medical curricula, embryology is typically taught through lectures, with a few institutions providing tutorials. The use of 3-D videos or animations enables students to study these embryological structures and how they change with time. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of cardiac embryology videos available on YouTube. A systematic literature review regarding the use of YouTube in teaching or learning cardiac embryology identified no papers that examined this specific question, and next, a systematic search of YouTube was performed. A total of 1200 cardiac embryology videos were retrieved using 12 specific search terms, with 370 videos retrieved under two or more search terms and excluded. A further 511 videos were excluded under additional, specific criteria. The remaining 319 videos were evaluated with the YouTube Video Assessment Criteria (UTvAC), with 121 rated as "useful." Videos on YouTube are uploaded with a wide audience in mind, from children to cardiologists, and content control is imperfect. Multiple videos were identified as duplicates of videos from original channels, typically without attribution. While 49 videos showed operations or human material, none contained an ethical statement regarding consent, and only 10 of these included an age restriction or graphical advisory. While there are useful videos for medical students studying cardiac embryology on YouTube, intuitive search strategies will also identify many with irrelevant content and of variable quality. Digital competence and search strategies are not innate skills, so educators should teach students to assess information so as to avoid overload or "filter failure."

Congenital heart defects in children born after assisted reproductive technology: a CoNARTaS study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Children born after assisted reproductive technology (ART) have worse perinatal outcomes compared with spontaneously conceived children. This study investigates whether children conceived after ART have a higher risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) compared with children born after spontaneous conception (SC).

METHODS

All 7 747 637 liveborn children in Denmark (1994-2014), Finland (1990-2014), Norway (1984-2015), and Sweden (1987-2015), where 171 735 children were conceived after ART, were included. National ART and medical birth registry data were cross-linked with data from other health and population registries. Outcomes were major CHDs, severe CHDs, 6 hierarchical CHD lesion groups, and 10 selected major CHDs, diagnosed prenatally or up to 1 year of age (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden) and prenatally or at birth (Norway). The association between ART and CHDs was assessed with multivariable logistic regression analysis, with adjustment for available confounders.

RESULTS

Major CHDs were detected in 3159 children born after ART (1.84%) and in 86 824 children born after SC [1.15%; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-1.41]. Risk was highest in multiples, regardless of conception method. Severe CHDs were detected in 594 children born after ART (0.35%) and in 19 375 children born after SC (0.26%; AOR 1.30; 95% CI 1.20-1.42). Risk was similar between ICSI and IVF and between frozen and fresh embryo transfer.

CONCLUSIONS

Assisted reproductive technology-conceived children have a higher prevalence of major CHDs, being rare, but severe conditions. The absolute risks are, however, modest and partly associated with multiple pregnancies, more prevalent in ART.

Maternal prepregnancy weight as an independent risk factor for congenital heart defect: systematic review and meta-analysis stratified by subtype and severity of defect

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between increased maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the risk of congenital heart defect (CHD) in offspring.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus from inception to 20 April 2023. Risk estimates were abstracted or calculated for increased BMI categories (overweight, obesity, moderate obesity and severe obesity) compared with normal weight (reference). Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used to combine individual study risk estimates based on the degree of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to weight pooled estimates for relevant moderators, particularly diabetes before and during pregnancy. Subgroup analyses for specific CHD subtypes were conducted if there were at least two studies with available data. Findings were presented for groups of defects, categorized using severity and topographic-functional criteria, and for individual defects. The certainty of the evidence for each effect estimate was evaluated according to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines.

RESULTS

Overall, 31 studies comprising 4 861 693 patients and 86 136 CHD cases were included. The risk of CHD increased progressively from moderate to severe obesity (pooled odds ratio (OR), 1.15 (95% CI, 1.11-1.20) and 1.39 (95% CI, 1.27-1.53), respectively). Sensitivity analysis indicated that this effect persisted independently of maternal diabetes status before or during pregnancy. In the subgroup analysis, obesity was associated with up to a 1.5-fold increase in the risk of severe CHD (pooled OR, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.03-2.13)). Severe obesity was associated with an even higher risk, with 1.8-times higher odds compared with the reference group for specific CHD subtypes, including tetralogy of Fallot (pooled OR, 1.72 (95% CI, 1.38-2.16)), pulmonary valve stenosis (pooled OR, 1.79 (95% CI, 1.39-2.30)) and atrial septal defect (pooled OR, 1.71 (95% CI, 1.48-1.97)).

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal weight is a crucial modifiable risk factor for CHD, particularly for severe forms of defect. Further research is needed to investigate whether weight management before pregnancy might serve as a preventive measure against CHD. In pregnant women with obesity, fetal echocardiography should be a routine diagnostic procedure. © 2024 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Predictors of high maintenance prostaglandin E1 doses in neonates with critical congenital heart disease-ductal-dependent pulmonary circulation during preoperative care

BACKGROUND

Neonates with critical congenital heart disease of the ductal-dependent pulmonary circulation type (CCHD-DDPC) require prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) to maintain oxygen saturation until surgery. However, the factors contributing to the maintenance doses of PGE1 remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the predictors of high maintenance PGE1 doses in these neonates.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included neonates with CCHD-DDPC at Songklanagarind Hospital between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2021. Factors associated with high maintenance PGE1 doses (> 0.01 mcg/kg/min) were analyzed to identify predictors. Odds ratios were calculated using tabulation and logistic regression analysis. A prediction score was developed for high maintenance PGE1 doses.

RESULTS

Among 96 neonates with CCHD-DDPC, 55 % required high maintenance doses of PGE1. Three factors significantly associated with high maintenance PGE1 doses were patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) size-to-birthweight ratio ≤1.3 mm/kg, initial PGE1 dose >0.03 mcg/kg/min, and preoperative invasive mechanical ventilation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for these three predictors was 0.7409. A predictive score of 0-3 was created based on these factors. The probabilities of receiving a high maintenance dose of PGE1 for patients with overall scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 0.19 (95 % CI: 0.04-0.33), 0.42 (95 % CI: 0.30-0.54), 0.69 (95 % CI: 0.57-0.81), and 0.87 (95 % CI: 0.76-0.99), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In neonates with CCHD-DDPC, a PDA size-to-birth weight ratio ≤1.3 mm/kg, an initial dose of PGE1 > 0.03 mcg/kg/min, and preoperative invasive mechanical ventilation were predictors of high maintenance PGE1 doses during the preoperative period.

Incidence and Antenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Malformations-Data from a Tertiary Obstetric Romanian Center

OBJECTIVES

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are among the most frequent congenital defects, and they significantly burden the healthcare system due to their high mortality rate and high cost of care for survivors. We aimed to highlight the incidence of CHDs in a tertiary center in Western Romania.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out between 2018 and 2022 at the "Pius Brinzeu" Emergency County Hospital Timisoara. Relevant information about the mothers and the newborns were collected and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

The incidence of CHDs from 2018 to 2022 in our center was 5.3%. Eleven types of malformations were diagnosed postnatally in 541 newborns, with 28.8% of cases having more than one type of CHD. The antenatal detection rate was 28%, with the highest rates for tetralogy of Fallot, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or significant ventricular septal defects and the lowest for pulmonary stenosis. The lower antenatal detection rate was influenced mainly by incomplete or absent prenatal care.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of CHDs is clearly dependent of a multifactorial approach, and the results highlight this. With an incidence almost 50% lower than reported within the literature and a low rate of prenatal detections, CHDs could be a more of a burden to endure regarding medical treatment. Improvements in patients' education, prenatal care, and screening programs could improve diagnosis, decrease mortality, and optimize postnatal care.

Cerebral autoregulation monitoring using the cerebral oximetry index after neonatal cardiac surgery: A single-center retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether cerebral autoregulation is impaired after neonatal cardiac surgery and whether changes in autoregulation metrics are associated with different congenital heart defects or the incidence of postoperative neurologic events.

METHODS

This is a retrospective observational study of neonates undergoing monitoring during the first 72 hours after cardiac surgery. Archived data were processed to calculate the cerebral oximetry index (COx) and derived metrics. Acute neurologic events were identified by an electronic medical record review. The Skillings-Mack test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the evolution of autoregulation metrics over time; the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups.

RESULTS

We included 28 neonates, 7 (25%) with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and 21 (75%) with transposition of the great arteries. Overall, the median percentage of time spent with impaired autoregulation, defined as percentage of time with a COx >0.3, was 31.6% (interquartile range, 21.1%-38.3%). No differences in autoregulation metrics between different cardiac defects subgroups were observed. Seven patients (25%) experienced a postoperative acute neurologic event. Compared to the neonates without an acute neurologic event, those with an acute neurologic event had a higher COx (0.16 vs 0.07; P = .035), a higher percentage of time with a COx >0.3 (39.4% vs 29.2%; P = .017), and a higher percentage of time with a mean arterial pressure below the lower limit of autoregulation (13.3% vs 6.9%; P = .048).

CONCLUSIONS

COx monitoring after cardiac surgery allowed for the detection of impaired cerebral autoregulation, which was more frequent in neonates with postoperative acute neurologic events.

Nationwide Birth Prevalence of Crucial Congenital Heart Defects From 2014 to 2018 in Korea

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

A comprehensive survey of congenital heart disease (CHD) prevalence has not yet been conducted in South Korea. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CHDs in Korean children and lay the foundation for national CHD epidemiology.

METHODS

Target patients were infantile crucial CHDs, which include critical CHDs (requiring urgent procedures after birth with common hypoxemic defects) and diverse categorical defects excluding simple shunt defects. Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service over a 5-year period (2014-2018). Birth prevalence (new cases per 1,000 live births) of CHDs in Korea was analyzed and compared with that of other countries.

RESULTS

The birth prevalences of right heart obstructive defects (pulmonary valve stenosis and pulmonary atresia), conus anomalies (tetralogy of Fallot and double outlet right ventricle), and total anomalous pulmonary venous return showed significant increases in the East Asian group (P < 0.001), whereas those of left heart obstructive defects (coarctation of aorta, aortic stenosis, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome), truncus anomalies (D-transposition of great artery and persistent truncus arteriosus), atrioventricular septal defect, and hypoplastic right heart syndrome were significantly decreased in the East Asian group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The overall birth prevalence of crucial CHDs in Korea was similar to that of critical CHDs in previous studies from other countries. Some subtypes of right heart obstructive defects, left heart obstructive defects, and conotruncal anomalies showed significant differences between East Asian and Western populations. This study contributes to a foundation for national CHD epidemiology in Korean children.

Fetal deaths from birth defects in Hunan Province, China, 2016-2020

To describe the fetal death rate of birth defects (including a broad range of specific defects) and to explore the relationship between fetal deaths from birth defects and a broad range of demographic characteristics. Data was derived from the birth defects surveillance system in Hunan Province, China, 2016-2020. Fetal death refers to the intrauterine death of a fetus at any time during the pregnancy, including medical termination of pregnancy. Fetal death rate is the number of fetal deaths per 100 births (including live births and fetal deaths) in a specified group (unit: %). The fetal death rate of birth defects with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated by the log-binomial method. Crude odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to examine the relationship between each demographic characteristic and fetal deaths from birth defects. This study included 847,755 births, and 23,420 birth defects were identified. A total of 11,955 fetal deaths from birth defects were identified, with a fetal death rate of 51.05% (95% CI 50.13-51.96). 15.78% (1887 cases) of fetal deaths from birth defects were at a gestational age of < 20 weeks, 59.05% (7059 cases) were at a gestational age of 20-27 weeks, and 25.17% (3009 cases) were at a gestational age of ≥ 28 weeks. Fetal death rate of birth defects was higher in females than in males (OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.18-1.32), in rural than in urban areas (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.36-1.50), in maternal age 20-24 years (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.25-1.47), and ≥ 35 years (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.11-1.29) compared to maternal age of 25-29 years, in diagnosed by chromosomal analysis than ultrasound (OR = 6.24, 95% CI 5.15-7.55), and lower in multiple births than in singletons (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.36-0.47). The fetal death rate of birth defects increased with the number of previous pregnancies (χ2trend = 49.28, P < 0.01), and decreased with the number of previous deliveries (χ2trend = 4318.91, P < 0.01). Many fetal deaths were associated with birth defects. We found several demographic characteristics associated with fetal deaths from birth defects, which may be related to the severity of the birth defects, economic and medical conditions, and parental attitudes toward birth defects.

Cardiac Development and Factors Influencing the Development of Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs): Part I

The traditional description of cardiac development involves progression from a cardiac crescent to a linear heart tube, which in the phase of transformation into a mature heart forms a cardiac loop and is divided with the septa into individual cavities. Cardiac morphogenesis involves numerous types of cells originating outside the initial cardiac crescent, including neural crest cells, cells of the second heart field origin, and epicardial progenitor cells. The development of the fetal heart and circulatory system is subject to regulatation by both genetic and environmental processes. The etiology for cases with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is largely unknown, but several genetic anomalies, some maternal illnesses, and prenatal exposures to specific therapeutic and non-therapeutic drugs are generally accepted as risk factors. New techniques for studying heart development have revealed many aspects of cardiac morphogenesis that are important in the development of CHDs, in particular transposition of the great arteries.

Prevalence and death rate of birth defects from population-based surveillance in Hunan Province, China, 2010-2020

To describe the prevalence and death rate of birth defects from population-based surveillance in Hunan Province, China. Data were obtained from the population-based Birth Defects Surveillance System in Hunan Province, China (2010-2020). The surveillance population included all live births, stillbirths, infant deaths, and legal terminations of pregnancy from 28 weeks of gestation to 42 days after birth between 2010 and 2020 when the mother resided in the surveillance area (Liuyang County and Shifeng District, Hunan Province). The prevalence of birth defects is the number of birth defects per 1000 infants (‰). The death rate of birth defects is the number of deaths attributable to birth defects per 100 birth defects (%). The prevalence and death rate with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by the log-binomial method. Crude odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to examine the association of each demographic characteristic with birth defects. Our study included 228,444 infants, and 4453 birth defects were identified, with a prevalence of 19.49‰ (95%CI 18.92-20.07). Congenital heart defects were the most common specific defects (5.29‰), followed by limb defects (4.01‰). Birth defects were more common in males than females (22.34‰ vs. 16.26‰, OR = 1.38, 95%CI 1.30-1.47), in premature birth than not (91.82‰ vs. 16.14‰, OR = 6.16, 95%CI 5.72-6.65), in birth weight < 2500 g (98.26‰ vs. 16.22‰, OR = 6.61, 95%CI 6.11-7.15) or > 4000 g (19.48‰ vs. 16.22‰, OR = 1.21, 95%CI 1.03-1.42) than birth weight 2500-4000 g, in hospitalized deliveries than other institutions (22.16‰ vs. 11.74‰, OR = 1.91, 95%CI 1.76-2.07), in multiple births than singletons (28.50‰ vs. 19.28‰, OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.27-1.76), in maternal age < 20 years (26.33‰ vs. 18.69‰, OR = 1.42, 95%CI 1.15-1.76) or >  = 35 years (24.31‰ vs. 18.69‰, OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.18-1.45) than maternal age 25-29 years, and in number of pregnancies >  = 4 (22.91‰ vs. 18.92‰, OR = 1.22, 95%CI 1.10-1.35) than the first pregnancy. A total of 747 deaths attributable to birth defects were identified, including 603 (80.72%) stillbirths, 75 (10.04%) deaths within 7 days after birth, 46 (6.16%) deaths in 7-27 days after birth, 23 (3.08%) deaths in 28-42 days after birth. The death rate of birth defects was 16.78% (95%CI 15.57-17.98). Deaths attributable to birth defects accounted for 51.09% (747/1462) of all deaths. Central nervous system defects had the highest death rate (90.27%), and neonatal genetic metabolic defects had the lowest death rate (0.39%). In summary, we have described the prevalence and epidemiology of birth defects from population-based surveillance in Hunan Province, China, 2010-2020. There were differences in the prevalence and death rate of birth defects between population-based surveillance and hospital-based surveillance.

Perinatal deaths attributable to congenital heart defects in Hunan Province, China, 2016-2020

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association between demographic characteristics and perinatal deaths attributable to congenital heart defects (CHDs).

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Birth Defects Surveillance System of Hunan Province, China, 2016-2020. The surveillance population included fetuses and infants from 28 weeks of gestation to 7 days after birth whose mothers delivered in the surveillance hospitals. Surveillance data included demographic characteristics such as sex, residence, maternal age, and other key information, and were used to calculate the prevalence of CHDs and perinatal mortality rates (PMR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Multivariable logistic regression analysis (method: Forward, Wald, α = 0.05) and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were used to identify factors associated with perinatal deaths attributable to CHDs.

RESULTS

This study included 847755 fetuses, and 4161 CHDs were identified, with a prevalence of 0.49% (95%CI: 0.48-0.51). A total of 976 perinatal deaths attributable to CHDs were identified, including 16 (1.64%) early neonatal deaths and 960 (98.36%) stillbirths, with a PMR of 23.46% (95%CI: 21.98-24.93). In stepwise logistic regression analysis, perinatal deaths attributable to CHDs were more common in rural areas than urban areas (OR = 2.21, 95%CI: 1.76-2.78), more common in maternal age <20 years (OR = 2.40, 95%CI: 1.05-5.47), 20-24 years (OR = 2.13, 95%CI: 1.46-3.11) than maternal age of 25-29 years, more common in 2 (OR = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.18-2.18) or 3 (OR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.01-2.02) or 4 (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.21-2.78) or > = 5 (OR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.28-3.18) previous pregnancies than the first pregnancy, and more common in CHDs diagnosed in > = 37 gestional weeks (OR = 77.37, 95%CI: 41.37-144.67) or 33-36 gestional weeks (OR = 305.63, 95%CI: 172.61-541.15) or < = 32 gestional weeks (OR = 395.69, 95%CI: 233.23-671.33) than diagnosed in postnatal period (within 7 days), and less common in multiple births than singletons (OR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.28-0.80).

CONCLUSIONS

Perinatal deaths were common in CHDs in Hunan in 2016-2020. Several demographic characteristics were associated with perinatal deaths attributable to CHDs, which may be summarized mainly as economic and medical conditions, severity of CHDs, and parental attitudes toward CHDs.

The Prevalence and Spontaneous Closure of Ventricular Septal Defects the First Year of Life

INTRODUCTION

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is one of the most common congenital heart defects. We aimed to determine the prevalence of VSD in a population-based cohort of newborns and assess the rate of spontaneous closure during the first 12 months of life.

METHODS

The Copenhagen Baby Heart Study (CBHS) is a population-based cohort study, including more than 25,000 newborns born in the greater Copenhagen area. Newborns underwent echocardiography within 60 days of birth. Newborns with VSDs had echocardiographic follow-up after 3, 6, and 12 months.

RESULTS

A total of 850 newborns (3.3% of 25.556) with a VSD were identified in the CBHS. Of these, 787 (92.6% [95% CI 90.1-94.2]) were muscular VSDs, 60 (7.0% [95% CI, 5.5-9.0]) were perimembranous, and 3 (0.4% [95% CI, 0.0-1.1]) were subarterial. After 1 year, 83.5% (607 of 727) of all VSDs had closed spontaneously, resulting in a decrease of prevalence from 3.3% at birth to 0.5% in 1-year old children. Muscular VSDs showed significantly higher rate of spontaneous closure compared with perimembranous VSDs (86.9% (582/670) vs. 46.9% (25/54), p < 0.001). Determinants associated with spontaneous closure were smaller size of the VSD (p < 0.001) and the absence of multiple VSDs (p < 0.0025).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of VSDs in unselected newborns was 3.3%. Almost 9/10 of all VSDs identified in newborns, close spontaneously during the first year of life, ultimately resulting in a prevalence of VSD in 1-year-old children of 0.5%. The identified factors associated with spontaneous closure were muscular type, small size, and absence of multiple VSDs.

Live-Birth Incidence of Isolated D-Transposition of Great Arteries-The Shift in Trends Due to Early Diagnosis

This is a single tertiary population-based study conducted at a center in southwest Romania. We retrospectively compared data obtained in two periods: January 2008-December 2013 and January 2018-December 2023. The global incidence of the transposition of great arteries in terminated cases, in addition to those resulting in live-born pregnancies, remained almost constant. The live-birth incidence decreased. The median gestational age at diagnosis decreased from 29.3 gestational weeks (mean 25.4) to 13.4 weeks (mean 17.2). The second trimester and the overall detection rate in the prenatal period did not significantly change, but the increase was statistically significant in the first trimester. The proportion of terminated pregnancies in fetuses diagnosed with the transposition of great arteries significantly increased (14.28% to 75%, p = 0.019).

Predictive value of NT-proBNP and hs-TnT for outcomes after pediatric congenital cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

The available evidence regarding the predictive value of troponins and natriuretic peptides for early postoperative outcomes in pediatrics is limited, controversial, and based on small sample sizes. The authors aimed to investigate the association of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) with the in-hospital adverse outcomes after congenital cardiac surgeries.

METHODS

A secondary analysis based on a prospective study of pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) patients was conducted to investigate the association of NT-proBNP and hs-TnT tested within 6 h postoperatively with in-hospital adverse events. A multivariate logistic regression analysis with a minimum P value approach was used to identify the optimal thresholds of NT-proBNP and hs-TnT for risk stratification.

RESULTS

NT-proBNP and hs-TnT are positively correlated with cardiopulmonary bypass time, mechanical ventilation duration, and pediatric intensive care unit stay. The predictive performance of NT-proBNP is excellent for adverse events in both patients younger than 1 year [area under the curve (AUC): 0.771, 0.693-0.850] and those older than 1 year (AUC: 0.839, 0.757-0.922). However, hs-TnT exhibited a satisfactory predictive value solely in patients aged over 1 year. (AUC: 0.784, 0.717-0.852). NT-proBNP levels of 2000-10 000 ng/l [odds ratio (OR): 3.79, 1.47-9.76] and exceeding 10 000 ng/l (OR: 12.21, 3.66-40.80) were associated with a higher risk of postoperative adverse events in patients younger than 1 year. Patients older than 1 year, with NT-proBNP higher than 500 ng/l (OR: 15.09, 6.05-37.66) or hs-TnT higher than 1200 ng/l (OR: 5.50, 1.47-20.59), had a higher incidence of postoperative adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

NT-proBNP and hs-TnT tested within postoperative 6 h demonstrated significant predictive value for postoperative adverse events in CHD patients older than 1 year. However, among CHD patients younger than 1 year, only NT-proBNP exhibited commendable predictive performance for postoperative adverse events.

hART: Deep learning-informed lifespan heart failure risk trajectories

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) results in persistent risk and long-term comorbidities. This is particularly true for patients with lifelong HF sequelae of cardiovascular disease such as patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).

PURPOSE

We developed hART (heart failure Attentive Risk Trajectory), a deep-learning model to predict HF trajectories in CHD patients.

METHODS

hART is designed to capture the contextual relationships between medical events within a patient's history. It is trained to predict future HF risk by using the masked self-attention mechanism that forces it to focus only on the most relevant segments of the past medical events.

RESULTS

To demonstrate the utility of hART, we used a large cohort containing healthcare administrative data from the Quebec CHD database (137,493 patients, 35-year follow-up). hART achieves an area under the precision-recall of 28% for HF risk prediction, which is 33% improvement over existing methods. Patients with severe CHD lesion showed a consistently elevated predicted HF risks throughout their lifespan, and patients with genetic syndromes exhibited elevated HF risks until the age of 50. The impact of the birth condition decreases on long-term HF risk. The timing of interventions such as arrhythmia surgery had varying impacts on the lifespan HF risk among the individuals. Arrhythmic surgery performed at a younger age had minimal long-term effects on HF risk, while surgeries during adulthood had a significant lasting impact.

CONCLUSION

Together, we show that hART can detect meaningful lifelong HF risk in CHD patients by capturing both long and short-range dependencies in their past medical events.

Intermittent intravenous paracetamol versus continuous morphine in infants undergoing cardiothoracic surgery: a multi-center randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

To determine whether intermittent intravenous (IV) paracetamol as primary analgesic would significantly reduce morphine consumption in children aged 0-3 years after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

METHODS

Multi-center, randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial in four level-3 Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) in the Netherlands and Belgium. Inclusion period; March 2016-July 2020. Children aged 0-3 years, undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass were eligible. Patients were randomized to continuous morphine or intermittent IV paracetamol as primary analgesic after a loading dose of 100 mcg/kg morphine was administered at the end of surgery. Rescue morphine was given if numeric rating scale (NRS) pain scores exceeded predetermined cutoff values. Primary outcome was median weight-adjusted cumulative morphine dose in mcg/kg in the first 48 h postoperative. For the comparison of the primary outcome between groups, the nonparametric Van Elteren test with stratification by center was used. For comparison of the proportion of patients with one or more NRS pain scores of 4 and higher between the two groups, a non-inferiority analysis was performed using a non-inferiority margin of 20%.

RESULTS

In total, 828 were screened and finally 208 patients were included; parents of 315 patients did not give consent and 305 were excluded for various reasons. Fourteen of the enrolled 208 children were withdrawn from the study before start of study medication leaving 194 patients for final analysis. One hundred and two patients received intermittent IV paracetamol, 106 received continuous morphine. The median weight-adjusted cumulative morphine consumption in the first 48 h postoperative in the IV paracetamol group was 5 times lower (79%) than that in the morphine group (median, 145.0 (IQR, 115.0-432.5) mcg/kg vs 692.6 (IQR, 532.7-856.1) mcg/kg; P < 0.001). The rescue morphine consumption was similar between the groups (p = 0.38). Non-inferiority of IV paracetamol administration in terms of NRS pain scores was proven; difference in proportion - 3.1% (95% CI - 16.6-10.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

In children aged 0-3 years undergoing cardiac surgery, use of intermittent IV paracetamol reduces the median weight-adjusted cumulative morphine consumption in the first 48 h after surgery by 79% with equal pain relief showing equipoise for IV paracetamol as primary analgesic. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT05853263; EudraCT Number: 2015-001835-20.

Epidemiology of congenital heart defects in France from 2013 to 2022 using the PMSI-MCO (French Medical Information System Program in Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics) database

BACKGROUND

Congenital heart defects are common and occur in approximately 0.9% of births. In France, the registries cover approximately 20% of the population but not the entirety of France; therefore, we aimed to update the incidence data for congenital heart defects in France from 2013 to 2022 using the medico-administrative database PMSI-MCO (French Medical Information System Program in Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics). We aimed to compare the frequency of risk factors in a population with congenital heart defects and a reference population.

METHODS

From 2013 to 2022, we included children aged < 3 years diagnosed with congenital heart defects according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, in the PMSI-MCO database. We compared them with a population without congenital defects on several medical data items (e.g., parity, gemellarity, and mortality rate). Bivariate and multivariate analyses compared children with congenital heart defects and children without congenital malformation.

RESULTS

We identified 83,879 children with congenital heart defects in France from 2013 to 2022 in the PMSI-MCO database and 7,739,840 children without such defects, including 7,218,952 without any congenital defects. We observed more deaths (7.49% vs. 0.68%, d = 0.59) and more twinning (8.67% vs. 1.23%, d = 0.35) among children with congenital heart defects. Multivariate analysis revealed an increased risk of congenital heart defects in male individuals (OR [odds ratio] 1.056, 95% CI [confidence interval] [1.039-1.076]) and cases of medically assisted reproduction (OR 1.115, 95% CI [1.045-1.189]) and a reduced risk in the case of multiparity (OR 0.921, 95% CI [0.905-0.938]).

CONCLUSIONS

According to the PMSI-MCO database, the incidence of congenital heart defects in France from 2013 to 2022 is 1% of births. Congenital heart defects are more frequent in cases of prematurity, twinning, primiparity, male sex, and maternal age > 40 years.

Mid-term outcomes after catheter ablation in patients with congenital heart disease

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac arrhythmias are a major concern in patients with CHD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes in patients with CHD submitted to catheter ablation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Observational retrospective study of patients with CHD referred for catheter ablation from January 2016 to December 2021 in a tertiary referral centre. Acute procedural endpoints and long-term outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 44 ablation procedures were performed in 36 CHD patients (55% male, mean age 43 ±3 years). Fifty-four arrhythmias were ablated: 23 cavotricuspid isthmus atrial flutters, 10 atrial re-entrant tachycardias, eight focal atrial tachycardias, eight atrial fibrillations, three atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardias, and two ventricular tachycardias. During a median follow-up time of 37 months (interquartile range 12-51), freedom from arrhythmia recurrence was achieved in 93%, with 1.2 procedures per patient (18% with anti-arrhythmic drugs). There were no adverse events related to catheter ablation. No predictors of recurrence were identified.

CONCLUSION

In patients with CHD, catheter ablation presents a high mid-term efficacy while maintaining a safe profile.

Predicting Long-Term Childhood Survival of Newborns with Congenital Heart Defects: A Population-Based, Prospective Cohort Study (EPICARD)

Backgroud: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most frequent group of major congenital anomalies, accounting for almost 1% of all births. They comprise a very heterogeneous group of birth defects in terms of their severity, clinical management, epidemiology, and embryologic origins. Taking this heterogeneity into account is an important imperative to provide reliable prognostic information to patients and their caregivers, as well as to compare results between centers or to assess alternative diagnostic and treatment strategies. The Anatomic and Clinical Classification of CHD (ACC-CHD) aims to facilitate both the CHD coding process and data analysis in clinical and epidemiological studies. The objectives of the study were to (1) Describe the long-term childhood survival of newborns with CHD, and (2) Develop and validate predictive models of infant mortality based on the ACC-CHD. Methods: This study wasbased on data from a population-based, prospective cohort study: Epidemiological Study of Children with Congenital Heart Defects (EPICARD). The final study population comprised 1881 newborns with CHDs after excluding cases that were associated with chromosomal and other anomalies. Statistical analysis included non-parametric survival analysis and flexible parametric survival models. The predictive performance of models was assessed by Harrell's C index and the Royston-Sauerbrei RD2, with internal validation by bootstrap. Results: The overall 8-year survival rate for newborns with isolated CHDs was 0.96 [0.93-0.95]. There was a substantial difference between the survival rate of the categories of ACC-CHD. The highest and lowest 8-year survival rates were 0.995 [0.989-0.997] and 0.34 [0.21-0.50] for "interatrial communication abnormalities and ventricular septal defects" and "functionally univentricular heart", respectively. Model discrimination, as measured by Harrell's C, was 87% and 89% for the model with ACC-CHD alone and the full model, which included other known predictors of infant mortality, respectively. The predictive performance, as measured by RD2, was 45% and 50% for the ACC-CHD alone and the full model. These measures were essentially the same after internal validation by bootstrap. Conclusions: The ACC-CHD classification provided the basis of a highly discriminant survival model with good predictive ability for the 8-year survival of newborns with CHDs. Prediction of individual outcomes remains an important clinical and statistical challenge.

The epidemiology of CHD in Malta

BACKGROUND

CHD refers to structural cardiac abnormalities which comprise the commonest group of congenital malformations. Malta is a small island in the central Mediterranean with excellent diagnostic and therapeutic facilities. It is unique in the European population as termination of pregnancy is illegal. This study was carried out to ascertain patterns in CHD prevalence in comparison with EUROCAT data (European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies).

METHODS

Anonymised data were obtained from the EUROCAT website for 1993-2020.

RESULTS

There were a total of 22,833,032 births from all EUROCAT Registries, of which 121,697 were from Malta. The prevalence rate for Malta CHD was 32.38/10,000 births (at the higher end of the range). Malta had a significant excess of commoner, comparatively non-severe CHDs. For most of the severe lesions analysed rates reported were higher than EUROCAT average, however, apart from Ebstein's anomaly, they all fell within the ranges reported from the different registries.

DISCUSSION

Wide variations in reported CHD prevalence are known, and the Malta rates may be higher for milder defects due to quicker pickup prior to spontaneous resolution. There may also be a higher pickup of milder forms of more severe conditions. For the more severe conditions, lack of termination may be the explanation. These factors may result in the higher neonatal mortality observed in Malta.

Investigation of infant deaths associated with critical congenital heart diseases; 2018-2021, Türkiye

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of infant mortality associated with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, data for the study were obtained through Death Notification System, Birth Notification System and Turkish Statistical Institute birth statistics.

RESULTS

Of all infant deaths, 9.8% (4083) were associated with CCHD, and the infant mortality rate specific to CCHD was 8.8 per 10,000 live births. CCHD-related infant deaths accounted for 8.0% of all neonatal deaths, while the CCHD specific neonatal death rate was 4.6 per 10,000 live births. Of the deaths 21.7% occurred in the early neonatal, 30.3% in the late neonatal and 48.0% in the post neonatal period. Group 1 diseases accounted for 59.1% (n = 2415) of CCHD related infant deaths, 40.5% (n = 1652) were in Group 2 and 0.4% (n = 16) were in the unspecified group. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome was the most common CCHD among infant deaths (n = 1012; 24.8%). The highest CCHD related mortality rate was found in infants with preterm birth and low birth-weight while multiparity, maternal age ≥ 35 years, twin/triplet pregnancy, male gender, maternal education in secondary school and below, and cesarean delivery were also associated with higher CCHD related infant mortality rate. There was at least one non-cardiac congenital anomaly/genetic disorder in 26.1% of all cases.

CONCLUSION

CCHD holds a significant role in neonatal and infant mortality in Türkiye. To mitigate CCHD-related mortality rates, it is crucial to enhance prenatal diagnosis rates and promote widespread screening for neonatal CCHD.

Determinants of survival following heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease

BACKGROUND

Adult patients surviving with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is growing. We examine the factors associated with heart transplant outcomes in this challenging population with complex anatomy requiring redo-surgeries.

METHODS

We reviewed the United Network for Organ Sharing-Standard Transplant Analysis and Research database and analyzed 35,952 heart transplants from January 1st, 2000, to September 30th, 2018. We compared transplant characteristics for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) (n = 14,236), nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) (n = 20,676), and ACHD (n = 1040). Mean follow-up was 6.20 ± 4.84 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox-proportional hazards analysis were used to analyze survival data.

RESULTS

Multivariable analysis confirmed that ACHD was associated greater in-hospital death compared to ICM (HR = 0.54, P < 0.001) and NICM (HR = 0.46, P < 0.001). Notable factors associated with increased mortality were history of cerebrovascular disease (HR = 1.11, P = 0.026), prior history of malignancy (HR = 1.12, P = 0.006), pre-transplant biventricular support (HR = 1.12, P = 0.069), postoperative stroke (HR = 1.47, P < 0.001) and postoperative dialysis (HR = 1.71, P < 0.001). ACHD transplants had a longer donor heart ischemic time (P < 0.001) and trend towards more deaths from primary graft dysfunction (P = 0.07). In-hospital deaths were more likely with ACHD and use of mechanical support such as use of right ventricular assist device (HR = 2.20, P = 0.049), biventricular support (HR = 1.62, P < 0.001) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (HR = 2.36, P < 0.001). Conditional survival after censoring hospital deaths was significantly higher in ACHD (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Heart transplant in ACHD is associated with a higher post-operative mortality given anatomical complexity but a better long-term conditional survival. Normothermic donor heart perfusion may improve outcomes in the ACHD population by reducing the impact of longer ischemic times.

Child Health Needs and the Pediatric Cardiology Workforce: 2020-2040

This article evaluates the pediatric cardiology (PC) workforce and forecasts its future supply. Produced as part of a supplement in Pediatrics, this effort represents a collaboration among the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Carolina Health Workforce Research Center, the Strategic Modeling and Analysis Ltd., and members of the pediatric subspecialty community. PC is a complex subspecialty including care from fetal life through adulthood and in practice settings that range from the outpatient clinic to procedural settings to the cardiac ICU. Complex subdisciplines include imaging, electrophysiology, heart failure, and interventional and critical care. Using American Board of Pediatrics data, US Census Bureau data, and data from the modeling project, projections were created to model the subspecialty workforce through 2040. Across all modeling scenarios considered, there is considerable projected growth in the supply of pediatric cardiologists by 2040. However, there is significant regional variation in the projected supply of trainees relative to demand in terms of local population growth, with evidence of a likely mismatch between areas surrounding training centers versus areas of greatest workforce need. In addition, this article highlights areas for future focus, including efforts to attract more residents to the subspecialty in general, particularly underrepresented minority members; increased support, more part-time career options, and improved academic career advancement for women in PC; and the development of better "real-time" workforce data to guide trainees and training programs in decisions regarding sub-subspecialty job availability.

Updated EUROCAT guidelines for classification of cases with congenital anomalies

BACKGROUND

Precise and correct classification of congenital anomalies is important in epidemiological studies, not only to classify according to etiology but also to group similar congenital anomalies together, to create homogeneous subgroups for surveillance and research. This paper presents the updated EUROCAT (European surveillance of congenital anomalies) subgroups of congenital anomalies and the updated multiple congenital anomaly (MCA) algorithm and provides the underlying arguments for the revisions.

METHODS

The EUROCAT methodology is described. In addition, we show how we validated the revised EUROCAT subgroups and MCA algorithm, which are both based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10/ICD9) codes.

RESULTS

The updated EUROCAT subgroups and the updated MCA algorithm are described in detail and the updated version is compared to the previous versions.

CONCLUSION

The EUROCAT subgroups and MCA algorithm provide a standardized and clear methodology for congenital anomaly research and epidemiological surveillance of congenital anomalies in order to facilitate the identification of teratogenic exposures and to assess the impact of primary prevention and prenatal screening policies. The EUROCAT subgroups and MCA algorithm are made freely available for other researchers via the EUROCAT Database Management Software.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease and Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy: A Population-Based Study in Qingdao, China

Objective

The outcomes of fetuses with isolated congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnosed prenatally have not been investigated in a population-based study in China. This population-based study aimed to evaluate the rate of voluntary termination of pregnancy after the prenatal diagnosis of isolated CHD in Qingdao, China.

Methods

This was a population-based retrospective study in which data were collected from all pregnant women in Qingdao (eastern China) from August 2018 to July 2020; fetal data, maternal data and data on pregnancy outcomes were extracted from medical records regarding prenatal diagnosis of CHD. The inclusion criteria were as follows: pregnant women or their husbands who had a household registration in Qingdao and who underwent regular prenatal screening in Qingdao. The exclusion criterion was the failure to sign an informed consent form. Counseling for all parents of fetuses with CHD was provided by a multidisciplinary team of experienced pediatric cardiologists, obstetricians, geneticists, etc. According to the type and severity of CHD, the pregnancy termination rate was analyzed.

Results

Among the 126,843 pregnant women, 1299 fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD were included in the study. Among the included fetuses, 1075 were diagnosed with isolated CHD, and the overall pregnancy termination rate was 22.8%. Termination rates varied according to the complexity of CHD (low complexity vs moderate complexity, P=0.000; low complexity vs high complexity, P=0.000; moderate complexity vs high complexity, P=0.000), with rates of 6.0% for low complexity, 54.2% for moderate complexity, and 99.1% for high complexity. The decision to terminate the pregnancy in cases of isolated CHD was unrelated to maternal age (P=0.091) but was related to gestational age (p=0.000).

Conclusion

In Qingdao, 99.1% of parents whose fetuses were diagnosed with isolated high-complexity CHD chose to voluntarily terminate the pregnancy. The pregnancy termination rate increased with increasing complexity of prenatally diagnosed CHD.

Maternal Diabetes and Overweight and Congenital Heart Defects in Offspring

Importance

Maternal diabetes and overweight or obesity are known to be associated with increased risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in offspring, but there are no large studies analyzing outcomes associated with these factors in 1 model.

Objective

To investigate the association of maternal diabetes and overweight or obesity with CHDs among offspring in 1 model.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This nationwide, population-based register study was conducted in a birth cohort from Finland consisting of all children born between 2006 and 2016 (620 751 individuals) and their mothers. Data were analyzed from January 2022 until November 2023.

Exposures

Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), categorized as underweight (<18.5), normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), and obesity (≥30), was assessed. Maternal diabetes status, classified as no diabetes, type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 or other diabetes, and gestational diabetes, was assessed.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Odds ratios (ORs) of isolated CHDs in children were found. In addition, 9 anatomical CHD subgroups were studied.

Results

Of 620 751 children (316 802 males [51.0%]; 573 259 mothers aged 20-40 years [92.3%]) born in Finland during the study period, 10 254 children (1.7%) had an isolated CHD. Maternal T1D was associated with increased odds of having a child with any CHD (OR, 3.77 [95% CI, 3.26-4.36]) and 6 of 9 CHD subgroups (OR range, 3.28 [95% CI, 1.55-6.95] for other septal defects to 7.39 [95% CI, 3.00-18.21] for transposition of great arteries) compared with no maternal diabetes. Maternal overweight was associated with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (OR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.10-1.49]) and ventricular septal defects (OR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.98]), and obesity was associated with complex defects (OR, 2.70 [95% CI, 1.14-6.43]) and right outflow tract obstruction (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.09-1.58]) compared with normal maternal BMI.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that maternal T1D was associated with increased risk for most types of CHD in offspring, while obesity and overweight were associated with increased risk for complex defects and outflow tract obstruction and decreased risk for ventricular septal defects. These different risk profiles of T1D and overweight and obesity may suggest distinct underlying teratogenic mechanisms.

SMAD4: A critical regulator of cardiac neural crest cell fate and vascular smooth muscle development

BACKGROUND

During embryogenesis, cardiac neural crest-derived cells (NCs) migrate into the pharyngeal arches and give rise to the vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) of the pharyngeal arch arteries (PAAs). vSMCs are critical for the remodeling of the PAAs into their final adult configuration, giving rise to the aortic arch and its arteries (AAAs).

RESULTS

We investigated the role of SMAD4 in NC-to-vSMC differentiation using lineage-specific inducible mouse strains. We found that the expression of SMAD4 in the NC is indelible for regulating the survival of cardiac NCs. Although the ablation of SMAD4 at E9.5 in the NC lineage led to a near-complete absence of NCs in the pharyngeal arches, PAAs became invested with vSMCs derived from a compensatory source. Analysis of AAA development at E16.5 showed that the alternative vSMC source compensated for the lack of NC-derived vSMCs and rescued AAA morphogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies uncovered the requisite role of SMAD4 in the contribution of the NC to the pharyngeal arch mesenchyme. We found that in the absence of SMAD4+ NCs, vSMCs around the PAAs arose from a different progenitor source, rescuing AAA morphogenesis. These findings shed light on the remarkable plasticity of developmental mechanisms governing AAA development.

A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of psychoeducation on the quality of life of parents with children with congenital heart defects-Quantitative component

PURPOSE

To develop, implement and assess the results of psychoeducation to improve the QoL of parents with CHD newborns.

METHODS

Participants were parents of inpatient newborns with the diagnosis of non-syndromic CHD. We conducted a parallel RCT with an allocation ratio of 1:1 (intervention vs. control), considering the newborns, using mixed methods research. The intervention group received psychoeducation (Parental Psychoeducation in CHD [PPeCHD]) and the usual routines, and the control group received just the regular practices. The allocation concealment was assured. PI was involved in enrolling participants, developing and implementing the intervention, data collection and data analysis. We followed the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines.

RESULTS

Parents of eight newborns were allocated to the intervention group (n = 15 parents) and eight to the control group (n = 13 parents). It was performed as an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. In M2 (4 weeks), the intervention group presented better QoL levels in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains of World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-Bref). In M3 (16 weeks), scores in physical and psychological domains maintained a statistically significant difference between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The PPeCHD, the psychoeducational intervention we developed, positively impacted parental QoL. These results support the initial hypothesis. This study is a fundamental milestone in this research field, adding new essential information to the literature.

Infant congenital heart disease prevalence and mortality in French Guiana: a population-based study

Background

Few studies have assessed the prevalence and mortality of simple or complex congenital heart diseases (CHD) in newborns. In Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), CHD epidemiology seems highly variable, with few population-based assessments and different methodologies between studies. To date, the situation in French Guiana, a French overseas territory located in South America between Brazil and Suriname, has never been described.

Methods

We analysed CHD prevalence, characteristics and related infant mortality in French Guiana, with a population-based registry analysis of all fetal and live birth CHD cases in infants under 1 year (January 2012-December 2016).

Findings

Overall, 33,796 births (32,975 live births) were registered, with 231 CHD (56 fetuses), including 215 live births. Most frequent CHD categories were anomalies of the ventricular outflow tract and extra-pericardial trunks, and ventricular septal defects. 18.6% (43/231) chromosomal or genetic anomalies, and 6.5% (15/231) terminations of pregnancy were observed. Total CHD prevalence was 68.4 [95% CI: 67.9-68.8] per 10,000, while live birth prevalence was 65.2 [95% CI: 64.7-65.7] per 10,000. Total infant mortality was 9.4/10,000 live births [95% CI 9.1-9.7], with highest rates for functionally univentricular hearts (FUH).

Interpretation

A distinct profile for CHD is highlighted in French Guiana with elevated mortality linked to FUH. A potential determinant of the recognized excess mortality risk might be the presence of chromosomal or genetic anomalies in about a fifth of all CHD. This helps us to better understand CHD burden in this part of South America and provides future keys towards reducing CHD-related infant mortality.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the present research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Risk factors characterisation for CHD: a case-control study in Bogota and Cali, Colombia, 2002-2020

OBJECTIVE

CHDs correspond to 28% of all congenital anomalies, being the leading cause of infant mortality in the first year of life. Thus, it is essential to explore risk factors for CHDs presentation, allowing the detection of probable cases within a population.

METHODS

We identified newborns with CHDs within a cohort from the Program for the Prevention and Monitoring of Congenital Defects in Bogota and Cali, 2002-2020. Cases were classified as isolated, complex isolated, polymalformed, and syndromic. Variables were analysed by comparing case and control averages with Student's t test using a 95% confidence level.

RESULTS

Prevalence obtained was 19.36 per 10 000 live births; non-specified CHD, ventricular septal defect, and atrial septal defect were the most prevalent. As risk factors were found: paternal and maternal age above 45 years, pregestational diabetes, mother's body mass index above 25, low educational level, and socio-economic status. As protective factors: folic acid consumption within the first trimester and pregestational period.

CONCLUSION

Different risk and protective factors associated with the presentation of CHDs have been described. We consider that public health strategies should be aimed to reduce risk factors exposure. Also, improving diagnosis and prognosis by having a close monitoring on high-risk patients.

Timing of Cardiac Surgical Interventions and Postoperative Mortality in Children With Severe Congenital Heart Defects Across Europe: Data From the EUROlinkCAT Study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of the first cardiac surgery, the number of cardiac surgeries performed, and 30-day postoperative mortality rate for children with severe congenital heart defects (sCHDs) in their first 5 years of life.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This was a population-based data linkage cohort study linking information from 9 European congenital anomaly registries to vital statistics and hospital databases. Data were extracted for 5693 children with sCHDs born from 1995 to 2004. Subgroup analyses were performed for specific types of sCHD. Children with sCHDs underwent their first surgical intervention at a median age of 3.6 (95% CI, 2.6-4.5) weeks. The timing of the first surgery for most subtypes of sCHD was consistent across Europe. In the first 5 years of life, children with hypoplastic left heart underwent the most cardiac surgeries, with a median of 4.4 (95% CI, 3.1-5.6). The 30-day postoperative mortality rate in children aged <1 year ranged from 1.1% (95% CI, 0.5%-2.1%) for tetralogy of Fallot to 23% (95% CI, 12%-37%) for Ebstein anomaly. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was highest for children undergoing surgery in the first month of life. Overall 5-year survival for sCHD was <90% for all sCHDs, except transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, and coarctation of the aorta.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no major differences among the 9 regions in the timing, 30-day postoperative mortality rate, and number of operations performed for sCHD. Despite an overall good prognosis for most congenital heart defects, some lesions were still associated with substantial postoperative death.

Evaluation of critical congenital heart disease from 2018 to 2020 in Turkey: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to examine the features of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).

METHODS

The study was planned as a retrospective cohort study. Data for the study were obtained through national data collection systems and 2018-2020 CCHD cohort was established. In this study, we divided the patients into two groups: Group 1 included seven primary target diseases of the newborn CCHD screening program and Group 2 included secondary target diseases.

RESULTS

There were 9884 CCHD cases, with a prevalence of 27.8 per 10,000 live births. Of the cases 44.4% were in Group 1 (12.3 per 10,000) and 54.8% were in Group 2 (15.2 per 10,000). Of all cases 55.5% were male and the female/male ratio was 1/1.2. While 21.8% of the cases were premature, 23.0% were babies with low birth weight (LBW), 4.8% were born from multiple pregnancies. The highest prevalence of CCHD was found in LBW (84.8 per 10,000), premature infants (57.8 per 10,000) (p < 0.001). The fatality rate in the cohort was 16.6% in the neonatal period, 31.6% in the first year of life respectively. The mean estimated survival time in the birth cohort was 40.0 months (95% CI: 39.5-40.6). The mean survival time for Group 1 diseases was 33.4 months (95% CI: 32.5-34.2), while it was 45.4 months (95% CI: 44.7-46.0) for Group 2 diseases (p < 0.001). Preterm birth, LBW, maternal age and region were evaluated as factors associated with mortality risk.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that CCHDs are common in Turkey and mortality rates are high. There are regional differences in CCHD both prevalence and survival. Improving prenatal diagnosis rates and expanding neonatal CCHD screening are of key importance.

Uncovering the Genetic Basis of Congenital Heart Disease: Recent Advancements and Implications for Clinical Management

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent hereditary disorder, affecting approximately 1% of all live births. A reduction in morbidity and mortality has been achieved with advancements in surgical intervention, yet challenges in managing complications, extracardiac abnormalities, and comorbidities still exist. To address these, a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis underlying CHD is required to establish how certain variants are associated with the clinical outcomes. This will enable clinicians to provide personalized treatments by predicting the risk and prognosis, which might improve the therapeutic results and the patient's quality of life. We review how advancements in genome sequencing are changing our understanding of the genetic basis of CHD, discuss experimental approaches to determine the significance of novel variants, and identify barriers to use this knowledge in the clinics. Next-generation sequencing technologies are unravelling the role of oligogenic inheritance, epigenetic modification, genetic mosaicism, and noncoding variants in controlling the expression of candidate CHD-associated genes. However, clinical risk prediction based on these factors remains challenging. Therefore, studies involving human-induced pluripotent stem cells and single-cell sequencing help create preclinical frameworks for determining the significance of novel genetic variants. Clinicians should be aware of the benefits and implications of the responsible use of genomics. To facilitate and accelerate the clinical integration of these novel technologies, clinicians should actively engage in the latest scientific and technical developments to provide better, more personalized management plans for patients.

Microcirculatory Monitoring in Children with Congenital Heart Disease Before and After Cardiac Surgery

In this prospective observational study, we investigated whether congenital heart disease (CHD) affects the microcirculation and whether the microcirculation is altered following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Thirty-eight children with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB and 35 children undergoing elective, non-cardiac surgery were included. Repeated non-invasive sublingual microcirculatory measurements were performed with handheld vital microscopy. Before surgery, children with CHD showed similar perfused vessel densities and red blood cell velocities (RBCv) but less perfused vessels (p < 0.001), lower perfusion quality (p < 0.001), and higher small vessel densities (p = 0.039) than children without CHD. After cardiac surgery, perfused vessel densities and perfusion quality of small vessels declined (p = 0.025 and p = 0.032), while RBCv increased (p = 0.032). We demonstrated that CHD was associated with decreased microcirculatory perfusion and increased capillary recruitment. The microcirculation was further impaired after cardiac surgery. Decreased microcirculatory perfusion could be a warning sign for altered tissue oxygenation and requires further exploration.

Perinatal deaths from birth defects in Hunan Province, China, 2010-2020

OBJECTIVE

To describe the perinatal mortality rate (PMR) of birth defects and to define the relationship between birth defects (including a broad range of specific defects) and a broad range of factors.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Birth Defects Surveillance System in Hunan Province, China, 2010-2020. The prevalence rate (PR) of birth defects is the number of birth defects per 1000 fetuses (births and deaths at 28 weeks of gestation and beyond). PMR is the number of perinatal deaths per 100 fetuses. PR and PMR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the log-binomial method. Chi-square trend tests (χ2trend) were used to determine trends in PR and PMR by year, maternal age, income, education level, parity, and gestational age of termination. Crude odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to examine the association of each maternal characteristic with perinatal deaths attributable to birth defects.

RESULTS

Our study included 1,619,376 fetuses, a total of 30,596 birth defects, and 18,212 perinatal deaths (including 16,561 stillbirths and 1651 early neonatal deaths) were identified. The PR of birth defects was 18.89‰ (95%CI: 18.68-19.11), and the total PMR was 1.12%(95%CI: 1.11-1.14). Birth defects accounted for 42.0% (7657 cases) of perinatal deaths, and the PMR of birth defects was 25.03%. From 2010 to 2020, the PMR of birth defects decreased from 37.03% to 2010 to 21.00% in 2020, showing a downward trend (χ2trend = 373.65, P < 0.01). Congenital heart defects caused the most perinatal deaths (2264 cases); the PMR was 23.15%. PMR is highest for encephalocele (86.79%). Birth defects accounted for 45.01% (7454 cases) of stillbirths, and 96.16% (7168 cases) were selective termination of pregnancy. Perinatal deaths attributable to birth defects were more common in rural than urban areas (31.65% vs. 18.60%, OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.92-2.14) and in females than males (27.92% vs. 22.68%, OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.25-1.39). PMR of birth defects showed downward trends with rising maternal age (χ2trend = 200.86, P < 0.01), income (χ2trend = 54.39, P < 0.01), maternal education level (χ2trend = 405.66, P < 0.01), parity (χ2trend = 85.11, P < 0.01) and gestational age of termination (χ2trend = 15297.28, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

In summary, birth defects are an important cause of perinatal deaths. Rural areas, female fetuses, mothers with low maternal age, low income, low education level, low parity, and low gestational age of termination were risk factors for perinatal deaths attributable to birth defects. Future studies should examine the mechanisms. Our study is helpful for intervention programs to reduce the PMR of birth defects.

Severe Congenital Heart Defects and Cerebral Palsy

OBJECTIVE

To report the prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) in children with severe congenital heart defects (sCHD) and the outcome/severity of the CP.

METHODS

Population-based, data linkage study between CP and congenital anomaly registers in Europe and Australia. The EUROCAT definition of severe CHD (sCHD) was used. Linked data from 4 regions in Europe and 2 in Australia were included. All children born in the regions from 1991 through 2009 diagnosed with CP and/or sCHD were included. Linkage was completed locally. Deidentified linked data were pooled for analyses.

RESULTS

The study sample included 4989 children with CP and 3684 children with sCHD. The total number of livebirths in the population was 1 734 612. The prevalence of CP was 2.9 per 1000 births (95% CI, 2.8-3.0) and the prevalence of sCHD was 2.1 per 1000 births (95% CI, 2.1-2.2). Of children with sCHD, 1.5% (n = 57) had a diagnosis of CP, of which 35 (61%) children had prenatally or perinatally acquired CP (resulting from a brain injury at ≤28 days of life) and 22 (39%) children had a postneonatal cause (a brain injury between 28 days and 2 years). Children with CP and sCHD more often had unilateral spastic CP and more intellectual impairments than children with CP without congenital anomalies.

CONCLUSIONS

In high-income countries, the proportion of children with CP is much higher in children with sCHD than in the background population. The severity of disease in children with CP and sCHD is milder compared with children with CP without congenital anomalies.

Improving the quality of life of parents of patients with congenital abnormalities using psychoeducational interventions: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To identify psychoeducational interventions that target parents of children with congenital abnormalities (CA) and evaluate their impact on quality of life (QoL).

METHODS

The search was conducted in six electronic databases, complemented by references of the studies found, studies of evidence synthesis, a manual search of relevant scientific meetings' abstracts and contact with experts. We included primary studies on parents of children with CA that studied psychoeducational interventions versus standard care. We assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane Collaboration's tool.

RESULTS

We included six studies focusing on congenital heart defects (CHD). They described four different psychoeducational strategies. In four studies, statistically significant differences were found. For clinical practice, we considered three interventions as more feasible: the Educational program for mothers, with a group format of four sessions weekly; CHIP-Family intervention, which includes a parental group workshop followed by an individual follow-up booster session; and WeChat educational health program with an online format.

CONCLUSIONS

This review is the first that assesses the impact of psychoeducational interventions targeted at parents of children with CA on their QoL. The best approach to intervention is multiple group sessions. Two essential strategies were to give support material, enabling parents to review, and the possibility of an online program application, increasing accessibility. However, because all included studies focus on CHD, generalizations should be made carefully. These findings are crucial to guide future research to promote and improve comprehensive and structured support for families and integrate them into daily practice.

Unmet Clinical Needs for Transcatheter Pulmonary Valves

A common feature of congenital heart disease is the presence of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) obstruction that can range from mild to severe and can lead to atresia of the pulmonary valve, in extreme conditions. RVOT abnormalities can frequently be corrected surgically or via interventional means. However, most of these patients will ultimately develop pulmonary valve insufficiency and eventual right ventricular dilation, which will require a pulmonary valve replacement at some point in their life to mitigate the detrimental effects of pulmonary valve regurgitation (PVR) on the right ventricle (RV). The evolution from the studies done by Philip Bonhoeffer to implant a pulmonary valve via transcatheter means, have provided a bedrock for transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR). Yet, several areas of unmet need for a demographic of patients still exist. Here, we discuss the clinical unmet needs in children under 20 Kg and expand the use of hybrid and other TPVR approaches along with the current indications and contraindications for pulmonary valve replacement. The constraints and limitations from commercially available pulmonary valves will be discussed from a clinical standpoint. Finally, we explore the use of hybrid and periventricular delivery of transcatheter pulmonary valves in younger patients.

Automated segmentation of 3D cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging

Introduction

As the life expectancy of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) is rapidly increasing and the adult population with CHD is growing, there is an unmet need to improve clinical workflow and efficiency of analysis. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a noninvasive imaging modality for monitoring patients with CHD. CMR exam is based on multiple breath-hold 2-dimensional (2D) cine acquisitions that should be precisely prescribed and is expert and institution dependent. Moreover, 2D cine images have relatively thick slices, which does not allow for isotropic delineation of ventricular structures. Thus, development of an isotropic 3D cine acquisition and automatic segmentation method is worthwhile to make CMR workflow straightforward and efficient, as the present work aims to establish.

Methods

Ninety-nine patients with many types of CHD were imaged using a non-angulated 3D cine CMR sequence covering the whole-heart and great vessels. Automatic supervised and semi-supervised deep-learning-based methods were developed for whole-heart segmentation of 3D cine images to separately delineate the cardiac structures, including both atria, both ventricles, aorta, pulmonary arteries, and superior and inferior vena cavae. The segmentation results derived from the two methods were compared with the manual segmentation in terms of Dice score, a degree of overlap agreement, and atrial and ventricular volume measurements.

Results

The semi-supervised method resulted in a better overlap agreement with the manual segmentation than the supervised method for all 8 structures (Dice score 83.23 ± 16.76% vs. 77.98 ± 19.64%; P-value ≤0.001). The mean difference error in atrial and ventricular volumetric measurements between manual segmentation and semi-supervised method was lower (bias ≤ 5.2 ml) than the supervised method (bias ≤ 10.1 ml).

Discussion

The proposed semi-supervised method is capable of cardiac segmentation and chamber volume quantification in a CHD population with wide anatomical variability. It accurately delineates the heart chambers and great vessels and can be used to accurately calculate ventricular and atrial volumes throughout the cardiac cycle. Such a segmentation method can reduce inter- and intra- observer variability and make CMR exams more standardized and efficient.

ACE2 gene polymorphisms are associated with elevated pulmonary artery pressure in congenital heart diseases

BACKGROUNDS

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) polymorphisms are related to the occurrence and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. However, whether ACE2 polymorphisms also affect pulmonary circulation in congenital heart disease (CHD) remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the relationship between ACE2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and pulmonary circulation in CHD patients of Chinese Han ethnicity.

METHODS

Enrolled CHD patients (n = 367) underwent gene sequencing of ACE2 SNPs rs2074192, rs2285666, and rs2106809. Patients with pulmonary hypertension were further examined for detailed hemodynamics.

RESULTS

Female heterozygous patients had worse pulmonary circulation hemodynamic parameters compared to those of homozygotes. Female CHD patients with the CCA (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.32-0.88) or CCG (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.35-0.99) haplotype had a lower risk of elevated pulmonary artery pressure.

CONCLUSION

In female CHD patients, ACE2 SNPs are related to pulmonary circulation hemodynamics. Female CHD patients with the CCA and CCG haplotype had a lower risk of pulmonary hypertension.

Neurodevelopmental assessment of children with congenital heart diseases using Trivandrum developmental screening chart

Objectives

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are one of the most important congenital anomalies in children which have high-risk for neurodevelopment delay. This study was conducted to determine the proportion of developmental delay in children with CHD and comparison of delay between acyanotic and cyanotic heart diseases in children.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on children admitted in pediatric ward of rural hospital from 6 month to 6 years of age who are diagnosed with CHD by 2D ECHO and further classified into acyanotic congenital heart disease (ACHD) and cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD). Neurodevelopmental assessment was done using Trivandrum development screening chart (TDSC).

Results

Out of total 50 children in study population, 24 children had TDSC delay, distribution as 11 (22%) ACHD and 13 (26%) CCHD. Out of 24 children in the age group of 0-3 years, 13 (54.2%) were ACHD and 11 (45.8%) were CCHD. Out of 26 children in the age group of 3-6 years, 15 (57.7%) were ACHD and 11 (42.3%) were CCHD. Among different ACHD included in the study population (0-3 years) children with ventricular septal defect (VSD) were maximum (n = 5) next in the decreasing order was atrial septal defect (ASD) (n = 3). ACHD included in the study population (3-6 years) children with VSD was maximum (n = 6) next in the order was ASD (n = 4). Proportion of delay in children with ACHD was 22% as compared to 26% in children with CCHD.

Conclusion

There is a high proportion of neurodevelopmental delay in children with CHD which can be detected using TDSC which is a simple screening tool and can be used by any health-care professional without training for the assessment of neurodevelopmental outcome in these children. Delay was more in children with CCHD than ACHD.

Facilitators and barriers of physical activity participation in children with a single ventricle physiology: a mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

The present study focuses on assessing the physical activity level of children with Fontan circulation for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and identifying potential barriers and facilitators toward their participation in physical activity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seven children aged 5-16 years (mean (SD) 8.8 (3.7) years) with a Fontan procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, their parents (n = 7), and siblings (n = 1) were recruited. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach: (i) children wore an activity monitor for 7 days to record physical activity, with sedentary time and level of activity calculated from accelerometer data; (ii) children completed a bespoke questionnaire recording limitations in physical activity; (iii) parents completed a semi-structured interview discussing perceptions about their child's physical activity participation. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Activity monitors data recorded highly active children with a mean (SD) of 153(36) minutes/day spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Time spent in sedentary behaviour was also high (57.5% of total accelerometer wearing-time). Four key themes relating to parental perceptions of physical activity were identified: (i) A new lease of life -post-Fontan; (ii) Setting limits - managing limitations; (iii) The wider world - how others set limits; and (iv) "I fear the future" - parental concerns.

CONCLUSION

Following completion of the Fontan circulation, children engaged in higher levels of physical activity in comparison to the national average. However, more than half their time was spent in sedentary behaviour. Fears and anxiety from parents and teachers may act as a barrier toward physical activity participation.

Self- and proxy-reported impaired social interaction in young adults with simple congenital heart defects

Background

Simple Congenital Heart Defects such as septal defects constitute a large proportion of Congenital Heart Defects. New research has demonstrated more co-morbidities than previously thought. In particular, co-morbidities involving neurocognitive, psychiatric, and social difficulties have been described. Neurocognitive and psychiatric morbidities affect social interaction. Social interaction is important in everyday social life (education, work life, family life). In this study, we investigated social interaction through self- and proxy-answered Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2) in young adults with simple Congenital Heart Defects and compared their social interaction profile to healthy matched controls.

Methods

We included a total of 80 patients with either atrial or ventricular septal defect (age 26.6 years) and 38 heart-healthy, age, sex, and ISCED educational matched controls (age: 25.3 years). A close relative proxy from each participant took part in the study as well. All participants answered the Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2) (n = 225). Our primary and secondary outcomes were the SRS-2 Total score and the SRS-2 sub-scores.

Results

In the Congenital Heart Defects group, 31.3% had a Total score above 60 compared to 7.9% in the control group (p = 0.005, RR = 3.96). The participants with a septal defect had a higher Total score (52.5 vs. 45.5, p = 0.004), a higher Social Cognition sub-score (55.0 vs. 47.0, p = 0.0004), and a higher Social Motivation sub-score (50.0 vs. 45.0, p = 0.003) than the heart-healthy participants. We found no difference between the two groups regarding the sub-scores of Social Awareness and Social Communication. A multiple linear regression model showed that the variable that explained most of the variation in Total Score was having a previously diagnosed psychiatric disorder.

Conclusion

We found that young adults with atrial or ventricular septal defects have a fourfold increased risk of social interaction difficulties compared to heart-healthy peers. They have a social interaction profile, with difficulties in social cognition and social motivation, and preserved social awareness and social communication. Psychiatric morbidity explained most of the variation in social interaction problems. As social difficulties and psychiatric morbidities are intertwined, social interaction difficulties could be an indication of already underlying psychiatric morbidities or a risk factor for future psychiatric morbidity.

Fetal congenital heart diseases: Diagnosis by anatomical scans, echocardiography and genetic tests

Objective

To determine the distribution of major fetal congenital heart diseases (CHDs) diagnosed antenatally during routine second-trimester obstetric anatomical scans in an unselected population at a single tertiary centre and to characterise and stratify risk factors, genetic diagnosis and long-term health at 4 years old.

Method

A single-centre cohort study of all major fetal CHDs detected on routine obstetric fetal anatomical ultrasound scans between January 2014 and December 2017 was performed in an unselected population. Demographic details, fetal echocardiogram reports, genetic test results, delivery outcomes and postnatal progress were stratified by CHD subtype.

Results

Of 20,031 screened pregnancies, 109 pregnancies (0.53%) had major fetal CHDs. The most common subtypes were coarctation of aorta (17.4%), transposition of great arteries (16.5%), and tetralogy of Fallot and univentricular hearts (13.8% each). Of the 60.5% that underwent confirmatory genetic testing-mostly conventional karyotyping and testing for 22q11 microdeletion-about a quarter had abnormalities, of which 22q microdeletion was the most common. We had complete obstetric data in 85 pregnancies (78%), of which 76.5% progressed to live birth. Among these, 92.1% of postnatal echocardiograms concurred with antenatal ones. At 4 years old, 43.2% of offspring had no medical or developmental issues, 20.0% had mild medical or developmental issues, 21.5% had major medical or developmental issues, and 12.3% had deceased.

Conclusion

Fetal echocardiograms accurately diagnose CHDs. Future studies should evaluate the roles of chromosomal microarray and next-generation sequencing in diagnosing CHD.

The Potential Impact of Preemptive Pharmacogenetic Genotyping in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the use of drugs with pharmacogenomic (PGx) guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium in early childhood.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective observational study of patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care (NICU) between 2005 and 2018 with at least 1 subsequent hospitalization at or after 5 years of age was performed to determine PGx drug exposure. Data regarding hospitalizations, drug exposures, gestational age, birth weight, and congenital anomalies and/or a primary genetic diagnosis were collected. Incidence of PGx drug and drug class exposures was determined and patient specific factors predictive of exposure were investigated.

RESULTS

During the study, 19 195 patients received NICU care and 4196 (22%) met study inclusion; 67% received 1-2, 28% 3-4, and 5% 5 or more PGx-drugs in early childhood. Preterm gestation, low birth weight (<2500 g), and the presence of any congenital anomalies and/or a primary genetic diagnosis were statistically significant predictors of Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium drug exposures (P < .01, P < .01, P < .01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Preemptive PGx testing in patients in the NICU could have a significant impact on medical management during the NICU stay and throughout early childhood.

The diagnostic performance of the ductus venosus for the detection of cardiac defects in the first trimester: a systematic review and diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Abnormal flow in the ductus venosus (DV) has been reported to be associated with adverse perinatal outcome, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital heart defects (CHD). Aneuploid fetuses have increased risk of CHD, but there are discrepancies on the performance of this markers in euploid fetuses. The aim of this meta-analysis was to establish the predictive accuracy of DV for CHD.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from inception to February 2022. No language or geographical restrictions were applied. Inclusion criteria regarded observational and randomized studies concerning first-trimester DV flow as CHD marker. Random effect meta-analyses to calculate risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristics (HSROC), and bivariate models to evaluate diagnostic accuracy were used. Primary outcome was the diagnostic performance of DV in detecting prenatal CHD by means of area under the curve (AUROC). Subgroup analysis for euploid, high-risk, and normal NT fetuses was performed. Quality assessment of included papers was performed using QUADAS-2.

RESULTS

Twenty two studies, with a total of 204.829 fetuses undergoing first trimester scan with DV Doppler evaluation, fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Overall, abnormal DV flow at the time of first trimester screening was associated to an increased risk of CHD (RR 6.9, 95% CI 3.7-12.6; I2 = 95.2%) as well in unselected (RR: 6.4, 95% CI 2.5-16.4; I2 = 93.3%) and in euploid (RR: 6.45, 95% CI 3.3-12.6; I2 = 95.8%) fetuses. The overall diagnostic accuracy of abnormal DV in detecting CHD was good in euploid fetuses with an AUROC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.78-0.84), but it was poor in the high-risk group with an AUROC of 0.66 (95% CI 0.62-0.70) and in the unselected population with an AUROC of 0.44 (95% CI 0.40-0.49).

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormal DV in the first trimester increases the risk of CHD with a moderate sensitivity for euploid fetuses. In combination with other markers (NT, TV regurgitation) could be helpful to identify fetuses otherwise considered to be at low risk for CHD. In addition to the improvement of the fetal heart examination in the first trimester, this strategy can increase the detection of major CHD at earlier stage of pregnancy.

Trends in survival of children with severe congenital heart defects by gestational age at birth: A population-based study using administrative hospital data for England

BACKGROUND

Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) are twice as likely as their peers to be born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation), yet descriptions of recent trends in long-term survival by gestational age at birth (GA) are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To quantify changes in survival to age 5 years of children in England with severe CHD by GA.

METHODS

We estimated changes in survival to age five of children with severe CHD and all other children born in England between April 2004 and March 2016, overall and by GA-group using linked hospital and mortality records.

RESULTS

Of 5,953,598 livebirths, 5.7% (339,080 of 5,953,598) were born preterm, 0.35% (20,648 of 5,953,598) died before age five and 3.6 per 1000 (21,291 of 5,953,598) had severe CHD. Adjusting for GA, under-five mortality rates fell at a similar rate between 2004-2008 and 2012-2016 for children with severe CHD (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.79, 95% CI 0.71, 0.88) and all other children (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.76, 0.81). For children with severe CHD, overall survival to age five increased from 87.5% (95% CI 86.6, 88.4) in 2004-2008 to 89.6% (95% CI 88.9, 90.3) in 2012-2016. There was strong evidence for better survival in the ≥39-week group (90.2%, 95% CI 89.1, 91.2 to 93%, 95% CI 92.4, 93.9), weaker evidence at 24-31 and 37-38 weeks and no evidence at 32-36 weeks. We estimate that 51 deaths (95% CI 24, 77) per year in children with severe CHD were averted in 2012-2016 compared to what would have been the case had 2004-2008 mortality rates persisted.

CONCLUSIONS

Nine out of 10 children with severe CHD in 2012-2016 survived to age five. The small improvement in survival over the study period was driven by increased survival in term children. Most children with severe CHD are reaching school age and may require additional support by schools and healthcare services.

Pre-gestational diabetes and the risk of congenital heart defects in the offspring: A French nationwide study

AIM

To compare the frequencies and types of congenital heart defects for infants of women without and with pre-gestational diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1DM, T2DM) and to identify risk factors.

METHODS

All live births between 2012 and 2020 were screened for maternal diabetes and infant congenital heart defects using the French Medical Information System Program in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics database (PMSI-MCO). Incidences of these defects were estimated, and a logistic model evaluated maternal and fetal prognostic risk factors.

RESULTS

Overall, 6,038,703 mothers did not have pre-gestational diabetes (no-diabetes), 23,147 had T1DM, and 14,401 had T2DM. The incidence of infant congenital disease was 6.2% for the no-diabetes group, 8.0%, for women with T1DM, and 8.4% for women with T2DM (P < 0.001); for congenital heart defects, incidences were respectively 0.8%, 3.0% and 2.7% (P < 0.001). In comparison with the no-diabetes group, the odds ratios (95%CI) of coronary heart defects were 2.07 (1.91;2.24) (P < 0.001) for women with T1DM and 2.20 (1.99;2.44) (P < 0.001) for women with T2DM, with no difference between T1DM and T2DM (P = 0.336). cesarian section, small and large for gestational age, and prematurity were also associated with an increased risk of congenital heart defects.

CONCLUSION

In this study we observed higher incidences of congenital heart defects in infants of women with pre-gestational diabetes compared to women without pre-gestational diabetes, with no difference between women with T1DM or T2DM. These data call for intensifying preconception care and justify systematic cardiac echography in selected fetuses.