Acute Kidney Injury and Fluid Overload in Neonates Following Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) and fluid overload have been shown to increase morbidity and mortality. The reported incidence of AKI in pediatric patients following surgery for congenital heart disease is between 15% and 59%. Limited data exist looking at risk factors and outcomes of AKI or fluid overload in neonates undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease. METHODS: Neonates aged 6 to 29 days who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease and who were without preoperative kidney disease were included in the study. The AKI was determined utilizing the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria. RESULTS: Ninety-five neonates were included in the study. The incidence of neonatal AKI was 45% (n = 43), of which 86% had stage 1 AKI. Risk factors for AKI included cardiopulmonary bypass time, selective cerebral perfusion, preoperative aminoglycoside use, small kidneys by renal ultrasound, and risk adjustment for congenital heart surgery category. There were eight mortalities (five from stage 1 AKI group, three from stage 2, and zero from stage 3). Fluid overload and AKI both increased hospital length of stay and postoperative ventilator days. CONCLUSION: To avoid increased risk of morbidity and possibly mortality, every attempt should be made to identify and intervene on those risk factors, which may be modifiable or identifiable preoperatively, such as small kidneys by renal ultrasound.

Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations in Heterotaxy Syndrome: The Case for Early, Direct Hepatic Vein-to-Azygos Vein Connection.

We report a surgical approach using hepatic vein-to-azygos vein connection without cardiopulmonary bypass or deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in a patient with heterotaxy syndrome and interrupted inferior vena cava with persistence of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) after previous Fontan completion. We advocate early performance of hepatic vein-to-azygos vein connection following the Kawashima operation for heterotaxy with functionally univentricular heart and interrupted inferior vena cava. We review the physiology of heterotaxy syndrome with congenital heart disease and justify our approach in the context of a review of previous surgical strategies used in this patient population.