Valve-Sparing Tetralogy of Fallot Repair With Intraoperative Dilation of the Pulmonary Valve. Mid-Term Results.

Deleterious long-term effects of chronic pulmonary regurgitation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot have become evident during the last decades. Subsequently, some groups have developed strategies to spare the pulmonary valve function at the time of repair with good early results. However, mid-term outcomes are scarce in the literature and in some cases controversial. The aim of our study is to report our results mid-term with valve-sparing repair of tetralogy of Fallot. We retrospectively reviewed patients undergoing tetralogy of Fallot repair and having preservation of the pulmonary valve with intraoperative dilation at our institution. From June 2009 through June 2017, 42 patients underwent valve-sparing tetralogy of Fallot repair. Median age and weight at surgery were 5.2 months and 7.2 kg. Median preoperative pulmonary valve diameters and Z scores by echocardiography were 6.4 mm (range 4.5-11 mm) and -2.3 (range -1.3 to -4.5). No patient died in our series. For a median follow-up of 45 months, the pulmonary valve has grown by Z score (P < 0.0001) as well as the pulmonary trunk (P= 0.00216). Significant pulmonary regurgitation has developed in 9 patients (21.4%). No patient has required reintervention/reoperation for recurrent right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Patients with tetralogy of Fallot who had valve-sparing repair with intraoperative dilation of the pulmonary valve show good early and mid-term results with respect to right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The pulmonary valve annulus and the pulmonary trunk grow through follow-up. Progressive development of significant pulmonary regurgitation is seen in more than 20% of patients. Long-term data with this approach and comparison with a population of patients undergoing a transannular patch repair are required to establish the real utility of this approach.

[What is the optimal dose of clopidogrel in pediatric patients?] / ¿Cuál es la dosis óptima de clopidogrel en pacientes pediátricos?

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to collect retrospective data on the prescription of clopidogrel, describe the conditions of its use in the paediatric population of a tertiary referral hospital, and evaluate its use based on the current scientific evidence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational and descriptive study between March 2010 and March 2017. We included all patients under the age of 18 who were discharged from our hospital for home treatment with clopidogrel within the study period. We collected data on the following: demographic data, diagnosis, indication for clopidogrel, start and end date of treatment, presence or absence of concomitant treatment with acetylsalicylic acid or other antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs, concomitant treatment with proton pump inhibitors, effectiveness, and adverse effects. RESULTS: The study included a total of 11 patients (45% male). The mean age was 3.1 years (range, 1 month-8 years). The prescribed dose of clopidogrel was 0.2mg/kg/day in all patients, and 10/11 patients received concomitant treatment with acetylsalicylic acid with the purpose of optimising antiplatelet therapy. None of the children received concomitant treatment with anticoagulants, and only one of them received treatment with a proton pump inhibitor. We did not find evidence of haemorrhagic complications or other adverse effects associated with clopidogrel. CONCLUSION: Based on our experience, a clopidogrel dose of 0.2mg/kg/day is a safe and effective treatment, regardless of the patient's age. The good tolerance observed in our study could be related to the adjustment of the optimal dose with the aim of achieving platelet aggregation without increasing the risk of adverse effects.

[Update on pediatric cardiology and congenital heart disease]. / Actualización en cardiología pediátrica y cardiopatías congénitas.

The fields of pediatric cardiology and congenital heart disease have experienced considerable progress in the last few years, with advances in new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that can be applied at all stages of life from the fetus to the adult. This article reviews scientific publications in a number of areas that appeared between August 2007 and September 2008. In developed countries, congenital heart disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in nonpediatric patients, including pregnant women. Actions aimed at preventing coronary heart disease must be started early in infancy and should involve the promotion of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Recent developments in echocardiography include the introduction of three-dimensional echocardiography and of new techniques such as two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging, which can be used for both anatomical and functional investigations in patients with complex heart disease, including a univentricular heart. Progress has also occurred in fetal cardiology, with new data on prognosis and prognostic factors and developments in intrauterine interventions, though indications for these interventions have still to be established. Heart transplantation has become a routine procedure, supplemented in some cases by circulatory support devices. In catheter interventions, new devices have become available for the closure of atrial or ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus as well as for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation. Surgery is also advancing, in some cases with hybrid techniques, particularly for the treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The article ends with a review of publications on cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and the treatment of bacterial endocarditis.

Absence of cardiovascular effects on young adults exposed in utero to ritodrine: a long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, using echocardiographs, if young adults exposed in uterus to Ritodrine have long-term cardiovascular effects. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective follow-up study. Young adults between the ages of 22- and 26-years-old. Young adults (n=19) exposed in uterus to Ritodrine and age-matched controls (n=27) were studied by means of transthoracic echocardiography. All participants were born following full-term pregnancies. Subgroups of those subjects exposed to the highest dose of Ritodrine and for the longest period of time were established. A multivariate descriptive statistical analysis of the values obtained using transthoracic echocardiography was performed. Echocardiography measurements in M-mode included intraventricular septum and posterior wall thickness, systolic and diastolic diameter of the left ventricle, septum/wall quotient, left ventricle mass and short and ejection fractions. Doppler pressed: E and A peaks in the mitral valve and isovolumetric relaxation time were determined. RESULTS: The mass, posterior wall, systolic diameter and the diastolic diameter of the left ventricle were slightly, but not significantly, higher in the Ritodrine group. The E/A peak and the isovolumetric relaxation time were similar in both groups. A negative correlation between the left ventricle mass index and the total Ritodrine dose (r=-0.67; p=0.051) was found; this disappeared in the subgroups exposed to higher doses and for longer times. CONCLUSIONS: The variables studied using echocardiography showed that in uterus exposure to Ritodrine do not have long-term effects on cardiac functionality in young adults.

Acceso venoso percutáneo braquial: Su utilidad en el cateterismo diagnóstico e intervencionista en cardiopatías complejas / Brachial percutaneous venous access: Its usefulness in the diagnostic and interventionist catheterism of complex cardiopathies

Introducción: El acceso venoso a la vena cava superior es obligatorio en pacientes portadores de anastomosis tipo Glenn. En cardiopatías complejas, es habitual la repetición de cateterismos, encontrando frecuentemente dificultades de acceso femoral. Para evitar la punción venosa yugular interna, potencialmente peligrosa, hemos utilizado la vena mediana basílica como acceso inicial. Objetivo: Valorar la efectividad y seguridad de la vía venosa braquial en pacientes, que precisan cateterismo cardíaco. Material y métodos: Se intentó la punción en 37 pacientes. Edad media 10 años (3.1-33.5). Todos ellos postoperados de cardiopatías complejas y con un promedio de 2.45 cirugías y 3.6 cateterismos por paciente. 40% de los pacientes: trombosis femoroilíaca bilateral. Técnica: Compresión venosa axilar, punción venosa basílica y canalización con introductor 4 a 6F. Resultados: Acceso efectivo: en 34 de los 37 pacientes (91.8%). En todos se realizó cateterismo diagnóstico, en 3, prueba pronóstica de oclusión y en 6 -angioplastía de rama pulmonar. Complicaciones: 2 obstrucciones tardías de la vena mediana basílica derecha (6%). Conclusiones: La punción venosa braquial es una técnica alternativa útil que permite acceso a cava superior y cavidades derechas a partir de los 3 años de edad, asociándose a un bajo porcentaje de complicaciones. Ciertas dilataciones vasculares pueden realizarse por esta vía.

Venous access through the superior caval vein is mandatory to study the pulmonary arteries in patients with a Glenn anastomosis. In complex congenital heart disease, repeat catheterizations may lead to iliac vein thrombosis and superior access is needed. In order to avoid the internal jugular venous puncture, we have used puncture of the antecubital vein as an elective access. Material: Brachial puncture was attempted in 37 patients. Mean age: 10 years (3.1-33.5). 2.45 heart surgeries and 3.6 cardiac catheterizations per patient had been previously performed in this group. 40% of patients had bilateral iliac vein thrombosis. Technique: Axillary vein external compression, venous puncture and introduction of 4-6 F sheath. Results: Venous access through brachial vein was achieved in 34 of 37 pts (91.8%). Diagnostic catheterization was done in all, balloon test occlusion of the pulmonary valve in 3 and pulmonary artery branch dilation in 6 pts. Complications: 2 late thrombosis of the right brachial vein (6%). Conclusions: Antecubital venous puncture is an alternative and useful technique that allows easy catheterization of superior caval vein, pulmonary artery and right heart chambers. It is associated with minor complication rate, avoiding internal jugular vein puncture. Certain therapeutic procedures can be performed through such route.

[Management by hypothermia of junctional ectopic tachycardia appearing after pediatric heart surgery]. / Tratamiento mediante hipotermia de la taquicardia ectópica de una unión tras cirugía cardíaca infantil.

Junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) is a complication of the repair of congenital cardiac malformations that responds poorly to conventional treatment. We report our experience with the use of moderate hypothermia in its management. Twelve infants with postoperative JET treated with hypothermia were reviewed. The mean interval between the diagnosis of JET and initiation of hypothermia was 1.5 0.5 hours. In the first 24 hours of hypothermia, central temperature and heart rate decreased significantly. Arterial pressure and diuresis tended to increase and central venous pressure tended to decrease. No direct adverse events occurred. All the patients but one survived and are alive and free of neurological deficits after 15 12 months.