Diagnostic considerations in infants and children with cyanosis

Case Report: unexpected cause of cyanosis in an infant after acute exposure to high altitude-severe tricuspid regurgitation secondary to tricuspid valve prolapse

Background

Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) causing cyanosis with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and right-to-left atrial shunting requires a precise diagnosis for optimal therapy. Tricuspid valve prolapse (TVP) can lead to TR and is sometimes overlooked, especially in complex cases with factors like pulmonary hypertension (PH). We present an infant with cyanosis and profound TR after high-altitude exposure, initially misattributed to PH but found to be primarily due to spontaneous chordae tendineae rupture and TVP. This case underscores the challenges in diagnosing TR-induced cyanosis.

Case presentation

The 3-month-old infant rapidly developed cyanosis, hypoxemia, right atrial enlargement, severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and patent foramen ovale (PFO) shunting after high-altitude exposure. Although echocardiography revealed tricuspid valve prolapse (TVP), initial consideration linked TR and right-to-left shunting to pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to the temporal correlation with rapid altitude exposure. Despite hemodynamic stability and the absence of respiratory distress after respiratory support and combined PH medication therapy, the persistent hypoxemia did not reverse as expected. This treatment outcome and repeated echocardiograms reminded us that TR was primarily caused by TVP rather than PH alone. Intraoperative exploration confirmed that TVP was caused by a rupture of TV chordae tendineae and anterior papillary muscle head, and the chordae tendineae/papillary muscle connection was reconstructed. After surgery, this patient was noncyanotic with an excellent long-term prognosis, a trivial TR with normal TV function being observed echocardiographically.

Conclusions

TR-induced cyanosis can be not only a consequence of PH and right-sided heart dilation but also a primary condition. Repetitive reassessment should be undertaken with caution, particularly when patients are not improving on therapy in the setting of conditions known to predisposition to secondary TR. Since TVP caused by rupture of the chordae or papillary muscles is rare but fatal in children, early diagnosis is clinically substantial to proper management and satisfactory long-term outcomes.

Cyanotic congenital heart disease - Not always blue to provide a clue: Time to replace cyanosis with arterial desaturation!

Despite right-to-left shunt, not all patients with so-called cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) are cyanosed at all times. Moreover, despite undisputed clinical utility, cyanosis is unreliable for the detection of arterial desaturation. Pulse oximetry, on the other hand, provides a much easier, reliable, and accurate method for detecting arterial desaturation. For optimal detection, therefore, it is perhaps sensible to replace cyanosis with pulse oximetry-based detection of arterial desaturation in all cases with suspected CHD.

Comparison of Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants with And Without Experienced Target Weight Gain on The Administration of Human Milk Fortifier

Background: Human milk fortifier (HMF) is defined as a supplement added to breastmilk to increase calories, proteins, vitamins, and various nutrition of breastmilk. The purpose of HMF administration is to increase the concentration of breastmilk nutrients to improve the weight of very low birth weight preterm infants. The administration of HMF is insufficient to fulfill protein needs in 20-40% very low birth weight babies, thus the weight gain did not meet the expected target.Objective: To analyze characteristic differences between very low birth weight preterm infants who experienced weight gain according to the target and not according to the target on the administration of HMF.Methods: An analytical study with a case-control approach comparing case and control group, which was observed to determine characteristic differences between both groups. The samples were 52 very low birth weight preterm infants obtained by consecutive sampling. Data analysis includes descriptive analysis and hypothesis testing. Results: Data were obtained from medical records and consisted of 52 participants, including 26 very low birth weight premature infants who experienced weight gain according to the target and 26 who experienced weight gain not according to the target. There was no characteristic difference of cyanosis clinical symptoms (OR 2.3; 95% CI 0.51-10.4), chest retraction (OR 1.0; 95% CI 0.32-3.1), apnea of prematurity comorbid (OR 1.0; 95% CI 0.25-3.9), neonatal infections (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.21-1.9), starting age of HMF administration (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.21-1.89), bloating (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.17-1.9), and vomiting (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.38-3.7) in both groups.Conclusion: There was no characteristic difference between very low birth weight preterm infants who experienced weight gain according to the target and not according to the target on the administration of HMF.

The Dose Makes the Poison: A Case Report of Acquired Methemoglobinemia

Background: Methemoglobinemia (MET) should be suspected in cases where cyanosis is not associated with signs and symptoms of lung and/or heart disease, or in a cyanotic child exhibiting discrepancies in the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood, the blood oxygen saturation, and the clinical assessment. Case presentation: A 10-month-old girl was taken to the Pediatric Emergency Department for the acute, sudden development of significant peroral cyanosis associated with gray pigmentation of the skin. The problem was evidenced approximately one hour after she ingested a homemade puree of mixed vegetables, mainly composed of potatoes and chards that had been prepared three days before and had been kept in the refrigerator since then. Physical examination revealed that the child was very pale, conscious, and without respiratory distress. Oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the arterial blood (SpO₂) was 94%. Respiratory, cardiovascular, and abdominal evaluations did not reveal any signs of disease. A venous blood sample showed chocolate-colored blood with a pH of 7.404, a partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) of 40.6 mmHg, a partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) of 21.3 mmHg, a bicarbonate level of 24 mmol/L, and an oxygen saturation (SO₂%) of 47.7%. CO-oximetry carried out simultaneously identified a methemoglobin level of 22%. MET was suspected, and oxygen via nasal cannula at a rate of 4 L/min was given with only a slight increase in oxygen saturation (96%). Slow intravenous injection of methylene blue 1 mg/kg over a period of 5 min was initiated. The peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) gradually improved to 100% over the next 20 min. Forty minutes later, venous blood gas analysis showed a methemoglobin level of 0.9% with a complete resolution of cyanosis; supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula was therefore discontinued. During the next 36 h, the patient remained hemodynamically stable with good oxygenation on room air. Conclusions: This case report shows that recognition of acquired MET in a child with sudden cyanosis onset requires a high index of suspicion. In daily activities, there is a need to pay particular attention when homemade vegetable soups for child alimentation are prepared. The consumption of vegetable soups must occur immediately after preparation. Storage in a refrigerator must last no more than 24 h and if longer storage is needed, vegetable soups should be frozen.

Delayed Presentation of Tetralogy of Fallot with Isolated Cyanosis

A pediatric patient with hypoxia or cyanosis can frighten even the most seasoned emergency providers. Patients with these symptoms require immediate evaluation and intervention to stabilize their condition. While the differential can be broad, specific attention must be paid to cardiopulmonary etiologies. Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common cyanotic congenital heart abnormality, and routine screening surprisingly misses a significant amount of these cases. This case serves as an example of a missed diagnosis by screening efforts and reaffirms the resuscitation algorithm of a hypoxic pediatric patient that all emergency providers should be familiar with.

Unexpected episodes of cyanosis in late preterm and term neonates prompted admission to a neonatal care unit

Background

We studied late preterm and term infants who were admitted to our neonatal care unit in a tertiary hospital for unexpected episodes of cyanosis that occurred during rooming-in for evaluation of their frequency, most frequent associated diseases, and documentation of the diagnostic clinical approach.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective study of infants with a gestational age ≥35 weeks who were admitted from the nursery with the diagnosis of cyanosis from January 2009 to December 2016. Exclusion criteria were the occurrence of acrocyanosis and the diagnosis of sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC).

Results

We studied 49 infants with a mean gestational age of 38 ± 2 weeks. The frequency of admission for cyanosis was 1.8/1000 live births and was similar (p = 0.167) in late preterm and term infants. The majority of episodes occurred during the first 24 h of life (57%). Only 16 infants (33%) were discharged with a diagnosis, that was mostly (n = 5;10%) gastro-esophageal reflux.

Conclusions

Unexpected episodes of cyanosis caused admission of 1.8/1000 live births to the neonatal care unit without differences between late preterm and term infants. These episodes occurred mainly during the first day of life and infants were mostly discharged without a known diagnosis.