Preoperative acidosis and infant development following surgery for congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: Prenatal diagnosis has been shown to decrease pre-operative acidosis and might prevent the occurrence of disturbed developmental outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate parameters for acidosis and their predictive value on developmental outcome in newborns with congenital heart disease. METHODS: A total of 117 patients requiring surgery for structural heart disease in the first 31 days of life were included. Diagnosis was established either pre- or postnatally. Preoperative values of lactate, pH and base excess levels were compared to the occurrence of disturbed developmental outcome, i.e. an underperformance of more than 10% on the P90 of a standardized Dutch developmental scale. Patients were divided into groups according to blood levels of acidosis parameters, using receiver operating characteristics curves to determine cut-off values for pH, base excess and lactate. RESULTS: No significant difference in developmental outcome was found using values for pH or base excess as a cut-off level. Preoperative lactate values exceeding 6.1 mmol/l resulted in a significant increase in impaired development compared to infants with a pre-operative lactate lower than 6.1 mmol/l: 40.9% vs 15.1% in (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative lactate values might have a prognostic value on developmental outcome in newborns with congenital heart disease. The limited prognostic value of pH can be explained by the fact that pH can be easily corrected, while lactate better reflects the total oxygen debt experienced by these patients.

Ten- to 15-year results of the Oxford Phase III mobile unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a prospective study from a non-designer group.

AIMS: The interest in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for medial osteoarthritis has increased rapidly but the long-term follow-up of the Oxford UKAs has yet to be analysed in non-designer centres. We have examined our ten- to 15-year clinical and radiological follow-up data for the Oxford Phase III UKAs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1999 and January 2005 a total of 138 consecutive Oxford Phase III arthroplasties were performed by a single surgeon in 129 patients for medial compartment osteoarthritis (71 right and 67 left knees, mean age 72.0 years (47 to 91), mean body mass index 28.2 (20.7 to 52.2)). Both clinical data and radiographs were prospectively recorded and obtained at intervals. Of the 129 patients, 32 patients (32 knees) died, ten patients (12 knees) were not able to take part in the final clinical and radiological assessment due to physical and mental conditions, but via telephone interview it was confirmed that none of these ten patients (12 knees) had a revision of the knee arthroplasty. One patient (two knees) was lost to follow-up. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 11.7 years (10 to 15). A total of 11 knees (8%) were revised. The survival at 15 years with revision for any reason as the endpoint was 90.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 85.2 to 96.0) and revision related to the prosthesis was 99.3% (95% CI 97.9 to 100). The mean total Knee Society Score was 47 (0 to 80) pre-operatively and 81 (30 to 100) at latest follow-up. The mean Oxford Knee Score was 19 (12 to 40) pre-operatively and 42 (28 to 55) at final follow-up. Radiolucency beneath the tibial component occurred in 22 of 81 prostheses (27.2%) without evidence of loosening. CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of UKA in medial compartment osteoarthritis with excellent long-term functional and radiological outcomes with an excellent 15-year survival rate. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B(10 Suppl B):41-7.

Atrial flutter in the perinatal age group: diagnosis, management and outcome.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate perinatal atrial flutter (AF) and the efficacy of maternally administered antiarrhythmic agents, postpartum management and outcome. BACKGROUND: Perinatal AF is a potentially lethal arrhythmia, and management of this disorder is difficult and controversial. METHODS: Forty-five patients with documented AF were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Atrial flutter was diagnosed prenatally in 44 fetuses and immediately postnatally in 1 neonate. Fetal hydrops was seen in 20 patients; 17 received maternal therapy, 2 were delivered and 1 was not treated because it had a severe nontreatable cardiac malformation. In the nonhydropic group of 24 patients, 18 were treated and the remaining 6 were delivered immediately. In the hydropic group, 10 received single-drug therapy (digoxin or sotalol) and 7 received multidrug therapy. In the nonhydropic group, 13 received a single drug (digoxin or sotalol) and 5 received multiple drugs. One patient with rapid 1:1 atrioventricular conduction (heart rate 480 beats/min) died in utero and another died due to a combination of severe hydrops because of the AF, sotalol medication, stenosis of the venous duct and hypoplastic placenta. Of the 43 live-born infants, 12 were in AF at birth. Electrical cardioversion was successful in eight of nine patients. No recurrences in AF have occurred beyond the neonatal period. Four patients with fetal flutter and hydrops showed significant neurological pathology immediately after birth. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal AF is a serious and threatening rhythm disorder, particularly when it causes hydrops, it may be associated with fetal death or neurological damage. Treatment is required and primarily aimed at reaching an adequate ventricular rate and preferably conversion to sinus rhythm. Digoxin failed in prevention of recurrence at time of delivery in a quarter of our patients, whereas with sotalol no recurrence of AF has been reported, suggesting that class III agents may be the future therapy. Once fetuses with AF survive without neurological pathology, their future is good and prophylaxis beyond the neonatal period is unnecessary.

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease affects preoperative acidosis in the newborn patient.

OBJECTIVES: Congenital heart disease is the leading cause of death in the first year after birth. Prenatal diagnosis of the disease can optimize the preoperative condition of the patient and may help in the prevention of acidosis. In this retrospective study we compared the occurrence of metabolic acidosis in patients with and without prenatal diagnosis of a congenital heart disease. METHODS: Data of 408 patients who needed an operation for congenital heart disease within 31 days of life were analyzed retrospectively. Arterial blood gases at fixed time intervals and worst blood gas of 81 patients with and 327 patients without a prenatal diagnosis were compared, categorizing the patients on ductus dependency, anticipated univentricular or biventricular repair, and left-sided, right-sided, or no heart obstruction. RESULTS: In the overall group significant differences in lowest pH, lowest base excess, and highest lactate level were found, with metabolic acidosis more common among the patients with a postnatal diagnosis. In the group of patients with ductus-dependent congenital heart disease, the difference between patients receiving a prenatal and those receiving a postnatal diagnosis was more significant than in the group with non-ductus-dependent lesions. Analyzing patients with right-sided, left-sided, and no obstruction separately, significant differences were found in the group with left-sided heart obstruction for lowest pH and base excess and in the group with right-sided heart obstruction for lowest base excess. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease minimizes metabolic acidosis in patients with congenital heart disease and may be associated with improved long-term outcome and prevention of cerebral damage among this fragile group of patients, although no significant effect on direct surgical outcome was encountered.

[Correlation between prenatal ultrasound diagnosis and findings from autopsies or neonatal operations due to structural congenital heart defects; a retrospective analysis]. / Samenhang van prenatale echografische diagnosen en bevindingen bij obductie of bij neonatale operatie wegens structurele congenitale hartafwijkingen; retrospectieve analyse.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contribution of the prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of structural congenital heart defects to the care of patients requiring surgery for their condition in the neonatal period. DESIGN: Retrospective. METHOD: During the period January 1991-June 1999, data were collected from two groups of children. One group had a structural heart defect diagnosed prenatally and the other underwent a neonatal operation due to a heart defect. In the prenatal group, the management and follow-up were analysed, whilst in the surgery group, the extent to which ultrasound investigation had been performed and whether there was a relationship between prenatal diagnosis and the severity of acidosis were analysed. RESULTS: A structural heart defect was found through prenatal ultrasound in 170 children and 64% of these prenatally diagnosed patients died before or immediately after birth, or the pregnancy was aborted. 14% underwent surgery within 31 days post partum. This last category formed an overlap with the surgery group. The surgery group contained 191 patients, who required surgery in the neonatal period, including 24 from the prenatal group. In total, 87% had no prenatal diagnosis. In the group with a prenatal diagnosis pre-operative lactate values were significantly lower. CONCLUSION: The heart defect was only diagnosed prenatally in 13% of the patients from the surgery group, although this would have been technically feasible in 46%. Better prenatal diagnosis of heart disease could contribute to a better counselling of parents in their choice between abortion, conservative treatment or emergency surgery. In the case of emergency surgery, prenatal detection might lead to a decrease in morbidity and mortality.

Altered fetal circulation in type-1 diabetic pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: Type-I diabetic pregnancies are associated with congenital cardiac malformations, fetal cardiomyopathy, venous thrombosis and altered placental vascularization, even with tight maternal glucose control. The aim of this study was to investigate if, with good glucose control achieved with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, normal blood flow within the fetal heart can be achieved. METHODS: Seventeen fetuses of women with well-controlled type-I diabetes were studied longitudinally to evaluate effects on the fetal circulation. Doppler frequency shift tracings, valve diameters and intercept angles were measured at right and left atrioventricular valve orifices at 4-week intervals starting at 15 weeks' gestation. Atrioventricular valve flow was calculated and compared to normal fetal data obtained in previous studies. RESULTS: Maximum and mean temporal velocities across the atrioventricular valves increased in both groups during gestation but significantly more in fetuses of type-I diabetic pregnancies. Combined ventricular output, both absolute and per kg estimated fetal weight, were also greater in these fetuses. In the normal group the ratio of the right/left ventricular output decreased significantly during gestation (from 1.34 +/- 0.28 to 1.08 +/- 0.28 standard deviations), but in type-I diabetic pregnancies this decrease did not occur (1.2 +/- 0.26 to 1.25 +/- 0.29 standard deviations)[corrected]. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that there are significant differences in the fetal circulation between normal pregnancy and well-controlled type-I diabetic pregnancy, suggesting the existence of a compensatory mechanism which increases fetal cardiac output and causes cardiac hypertrophy.

Lactacidosis in the neonate is minimized by prenatal detection of congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of prenatal detection of congenital heart disease on preventing severe preoperative lactacidosis. DESIGN: Patients operated upon for congenital heart disease during the first 31 days of life (n = 209) were studied retrospectively, 21 were diagnosed prenatally and 188 patients had not been diagnosed prenatally. Preoperative lactate, pH and base excess were evaluated. RESULTS: Differences were noted in preoperative pH (7.28 +/- 0.03 vs. 7.24 +/- 0.01, P = 0.29), base excess (-5.83 +/- 0.64 vs. -6.93 +/- 0.46 mmol/L, P = 0.10) and lactate (3.05 +/- 0.35 vs. 6.08 +/- 0.45 mmol/L, P < 0.001), indicating a significant difference in blood lactate values in favor of the prenatally diagnosed group. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease and the resulting immediate postnatal care prevent lactate increase in the preoperative period of these patients. This may decrease the risk of cerebral damage and result in the patient being in better condition at surgery.