Echocardiographic Assessment of Melody Versus Sapien Valves Following Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the immediate and midterm echocardiographic performance of the Melody (Medtronic Inc) and Sapien (Edwards Lifesciences Inc) valves after transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) in native and conduit right ventricular outflow tracts (RVOTs). BACKGROUND: TPVR is now a common procedure, but limited data exist comparing postimplantation echocardiographic findings between Melody and Sapien valves. METHODS: This was a single-institution retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent successful TPVR from 2011 to 2020. Patient demographics, procedural details, and immediate and midterm echocardiographic findings were collected and compared between valve types using the Wilcoxon rank sum, chi-square, or Fisher exact test as appropriate. Subgroups were analyzed individually and were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni method. RESULTS: A total of 328 patients underwent successful TPVR (Melody: n = 202, Sapien: n = 126). The groups had a similar baseline age, weight, and diagnosis. The most common indications for TPVR were pulmonary stenosis (32.2%) or mixed disease (46%) in the Melody group and pulmonary insufficiency in the Sapien group (52.4%) (P < 0.001). Sapien valves were more often placed in native RVOTs (43.7% vs 18.8%; P < 0.001). The discharge and follow-up mean and peak Doppler gradients were similar between the Melody and Sapien groups. Valves implanted in native RVOTs had significantly lower postimplantation gradients at each follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiographic performance after TPVR was generally acceptable and similar when comparing Melody and Sapien valves despite differences in the indication and anatomy in each group. The peak and mean gradients were lower in transcatheter valves implanted in native RVOTs compared with those implanted in conduits or bioprosthetic valves.

Admission to dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care units is associated with decreased resource use in neonatal cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Neonates undergoing congenital heart surgery require highly specialized, resource-intensive care. Location of care and degree of specialization can vary between and within institutions. Using a multi-institutional cohort, we sought to determine whether location of admission is associated with an increase in health care costs, resource use and mortality. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed admission for neonates (<30 days) undergoing congenital heart surgery between 2004 and 2013 by using the Pediatric Health Information Systems database (44 children's hospitals). Multivariate generalized estimating equations adjusted for center- and patient-specific risk factors and stratified by age at admission were performed to examine the association of admission intensive care unit (ICU) with total hospital costs, mortality, and length of stay. RESULTS: Of 19,984 neonates (60% male) identified, 39% were initially admitted to a cardiac ICU (CICU), 48% to a neonatal ICU (NICU), and 13% to a pediatric ICU. In adjusted models, admission to a CICU versus NICU was associated with a $20,440 reduction in total hospital cost for infants aged 2 to 7 days at admission (P = .007) and a $23,700 reduction in total cost for infants aged 8 to 14 days at admission (P = .01). Initial admission to a CICU or pediatric ICU versus NICU at <15 days of age was associated with shorter hospital and ICU length of stay and fewer days of mechanical ventilation. There was no difference in adjusted mortality by admission location. CONCLUSIONS: Admission to an ICU specializing in cardiac care is associated with significantly decreased hospital costs and more efficient resource use for neonates requiring cardiac surgery.

Admission to a dedicated cardiac intensive care unit is associated with decreased resource use for infants with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease.

Many factors in the delivery and perinatal care of infants with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) have an impact on outcome and costs. This study sought to determine the modifiable factors in perinatal management that have an impact on postnatal resource use for infants with CHD. The medical records of infants with prenatally diagnosed CHD (August 2006-December 2011) who underwent cardiac surgery before discharge were reviewed. The exclusion criteria ruled out prematurity and intervention or transplantation evaluation before surgery. Clinical characteristics, outcomes, and cost data were collected. Multivariate linear regression models were used to determine the impact of perinatal decisions on hospitalization cost and surrogates of resource use after adjustment for demographic and other risk factors. For the 126 patients who met the study criteria, the median hospital stay was 22 days (range 4-122 days), and the median inflation-adjusted total hospital cost was $107,357 (range $9,746-602,320). The initial admission to the neonatal versus the cardiac intensive care unit (NICU vs. CICU) was independently associated with a 19 % longer hospital stay, a 26 % longer ICU stay, and 47 % more mechanical ventilation days after adjustment for Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery, version 1 score, gestation age, genetic abnormality, birth weight, mode of delivery, and postsurgical complications. Weekend versus weekday delivery was not associated with hospital cost or length of hospital stay. For term infants with prenatally diagnosed CHD undergoing surgery before discharge, preoperative admission to the NICU (vs. the CICU) resulted in a longer hospital stay and greater intensive care use. Prenatal planning for infants with CHD should consider the initial place of admission as a modifiable factor for potential lowering of resource use.

Outcome and resource utilization of infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in the Intermountain West.

The objective of the present study was to characterize the outcomes and resource utilization of all infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in the Intermountain West. This was a retrospective cohort study of all infants born with HLHS in the Intermountain West from January 1995 and January 2010. The cohort was divided into 3 eras: era 1, 1995 to 1999; era 2, 2000 to 2004; and era 3, 2005 to 2010. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to assess mortality. The lifetime hospitalization days and charges were also determined. Of the 245 infants identified, 65% were male infants and 172 (70%) underwent Stage 1 palliation. The transplant-free survival rate for the entire cohort was 33% at 14 years. The 1-year transplant-free survival rate for the surgical cohort was 60% in era 3. The infants whose initial presentation included shock, restrictive or intact atrial septum, chromosomal defects, or multiorgan dysfunction had an increased risk of death. A recent era of birth, greater birthweight, and older gestational age were associated with improved survival. The factors associated with mortality after stage 1 included surgical procedure type (Blalock-Taussig vs Sano shunt, hazard ratio 2.1), requirement for postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (hazard ratio 4.2), postoperative renal dysfunction (hazard ratio 3.0), anomalous pulmonary venous return (hazard ratio 2.9), and moderate or greater tricuspid valve regurgitation at any point (hazard ratio 2.0). For patients who had undergone stage 1, 2, or 3 palliation, the median cumulative lifetime hospitalization was 32, 48, and 65 days, and the median cumulative lifetime charges for hospitalization were $201,812, $253,183, and $296,213, respectively. In conclusion, although hospital-based studies of HLHS have shown significantly improved survival after surgical palliation, population-based studies have shown that HLHS continues to have a high mortality and high resource utilization.

Characteristics of children discharged from hospitals in the United States in 2000 with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to describe characteristics of children discharged from hospitals in the United States in 2000 with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever. METHODS: We explored characteristics of children <21 years of age who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever by using the 2000 Kids' Inpatient Database, weighted to estimate the number and rate of acute rheumatic fever-associated hospitalizations in the United States. RESULTS: In 2000, an estimated 503 acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations occurred among children <21 years of age, at a rate of 14.8 cases per 100,000 hospitalized children, with a mean age of 10 years. In comparison with all Kids' Inpatient Database admissions, acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations were more common in the age group of 6 to 11 years and among male patients. Chorea was more common in female patients (61.7%). White patients were significantly underrepresented, whereas Asian/Pacific Islander patients and patients of other races were overrepresented. Hospitalizations of patients with acute rheumatic fever were significantly more common in the Northeast and less common in the South. The highest rates of acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations occurred in Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and New York. Significantly more acute rheumatic fever admissions occurred in March. The expected payor was more likely to be private insurance and less likely to be Medicaid. Acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations were more likely to occur in teaching hospitals, freestanding children's hospitals, and children's units in general hospitals and in urban locations. The median length of stay for acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations was 3 days, and the median total charges were $6349. The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.6%. CONCLUSIONS: In 2000, we found that hospitalizations for acute rheumatic fever were infrequent and varied according to race, season, location, and type of hospital.

An assessment of the electrocardiogram as a screening test for large atrial septal defects in children.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly used as a screening tool for diagnosis of the ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD). We sought to analyze the utility of conventional ECG criteria in detecting right ventricular enlargement (RVE) due to the presence of an ASD. METHODS: Patients who underwent transcatheter or surgical closure of an isolated ASD between 1997 and 2004 were included if an ECG was performed less than 9 months before ASD closure and had echocardiographic RVE. RESULTS: Of 99 children (aged 6.8 +/- 4.7 years; range, 1-18 years) with RVE and ASD, 57% had an ECG that met 1 or more RVE criteria. The sensitivity of ECG increased to 70% in younger patients and to 80% for the largest defects. CONCLUSIONS: Electrocardiographic criteria for RVE are present in just more than over half of young patients with large ASDs. Although ECG is more sensitive in younger patients, it is unreliable as a screen for this lesion.

Assessment of right ventricular size and function: echo versus magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The assessment of right ventricular (RV) size and function is important in the management of many patients with heart disease. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the gold standard for quantitation of ventricular volumes and systolic function, subjective assessment ("eyeball") by echocardiography is the modality most often used for the RV. The echocardiographic "eyeball" method of assessing RV size and systolic function was compared with quantitative MRI. DESIGN: Patients with right-sided congenital heart disease who underwent an echocardiogram within 6 months of MRI formed the study group. Four echocardiographers blinded to the MRI results reviewed the echocardiograms to subjectively assess RV size and systolic function. The reliability of an echocardiographer in accurately identifying a severely dilated RV and moderately to severely diminished RV systolic function was measured using the Kappa coefficient. Inter-rater agreement was also assessed using Kappa. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 22 patients aged 16.6 +/- 7.1 years, with interval between MRI and echocardiogram of 49 +/- 54 days. Using echocardiography, reliability for accurately identifying a severely dilated RV was "slight" with a prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted Kappa (PABAK) of 0.25; and for identifying moderately to severely diminished RV systolic function was fair with a PABAK of 0.43. Inter-rater agreement analysis was poor for both with Kappas of 0.07 (P = .22) and 0.12 (P = .09), respectively. CONCLUSION: The usefulness of the echocardiographic "eyeball" method to estimate RV size and systolic function in patients with right heart disease has limitations when compared with MRI, specifically in regard to the variability between echocardiographers.