Longitudinal Cardiac Evaluation of Children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) Following COVID-19 by Conventional and Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), is a rare but severe, hyperinflammatory complication of COVID-19, in which cardiovascular abnormalities are frequently detected. In this prospective study, we describe the echocardiographic findings in patients with MIS-C, with the use of conventional Echocardiography and Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography (STE) with Left Ventricular (LV) Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) analysis, in the acute and follow-up phase. In total, 25 MIS-C patients [64% females, mean (± SD) age: 8.3 (± 3.72) years] were included. In the acute phase, median (IQR) Troponin and NT-proBNP and mean heart rate, were 8.07 (14.52) pg/mL, 2875.00 (7713.00) pg/mL, and 102.87 (± 22.96) bpm, respectively. Median (IQR) LV Ejection Fraction (LVEF) was 66 (8)% and LVEF impairment was detected in 2/25 (8%) patients. On follow-up (mean time interval:9.50 ± 4.59 months), heart rate was significantly lower, with a mean value of 90.00 (± 14.56) bpm (p-value = 0.017). Median (IQR) LVEF was 66.00 (6.70)% (p-value = 0.345) and all 25 participants had normal LVEF. In 14/25 patients, additional LV-GLS analysis was performed. During the acute phase, mean LV-GLS was - 18.02 (± 4.40)%. LV-GLS was abnormal in 6/14 patients (42.9%) and among them, only one patient had reduced LVEF. On follow-up (median (IQR) time interval:6.93 (3.66) months), mean LV-GLS was -20.31 (± 1.91)% (p-value = 0.07) and in 1/14 patient (7.1%), the LV-GLS impairment persisted. In conclusion, in the acute and follow-up phase, we detected abnormal LV-GLS values in some patients, in the presence of normal LVEF, indicating that STE-GLS is a valuable tool for identifying subclinical myocardial injury in MIS-C.

The prevalence of underweight and obesity in CHD. Response to body mass index and age are associated with ventricular end-diastolic pressure in adults with a Fontan circulation.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study is to determine the impact of obesity in children with CHD which is severe enough to require invasive catheterisation. METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective study in a cardiac catheterisation laboratory of a large paediatric hospital. The material consisted of 378 children from 2 to 19 years old who underwent heart catheterisation in the years 2011-2019. Their anthropometric data were collected, and the body mass index was calculated. The BMI centile was then calculated according to the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC). They were classified as overweight (85-95th centile), obese (> 95th centile), normal weight (5th-85 centile), and underweight (< 5th centile). RESULTS: 18.7% of children were underweight, 54.76% were normal weight, 11.64% were overweight, and 14.81% were obese. Overall, 26.45% of the children were overweight. Boys were more likely to have increased body weight than girls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The percentage of increased weight was similar in children with acyanotic CHD as well as heart disease from other causes. On the contrary, children with cyanotic heart disease were more likely to be younger and have a higher percentage of underweight children. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of obesity and overweight in children with CHD depend on the sex, age, and cardiopathy type. In addition, they agree with the findings that have been published in international series studies for children with CHD.

Quadricuspid aortic valve in a neonate with Fallot's tetralogy.

A 3-day-old male neonate was referred to our hospital for a cardiac echocardiogram.

Τhe Burden of Obesity on Adult Survivors of Congenital Heart Disease, Past, and Future Directions.

The ongoing obesity epidemic has started to ebb. However, as most children with congenital heart disease survive until adulthood, the burgeoning trend has started to spill over in the adult congenital heart disease population as well. This review aims to decipher the prevalence, outcomes, and future directions of obesity in adult survivors of congenital heart disease.

Duct stenting in an ELBW infant with aortic arch interruption.

Aortic arch interruption is a rare cardiac malformation. In some cases, it is part of a more complex congenital heart disease. Survival of extremely low birth weight infants with this cardiac disease is very rare. Surgical correction is the only treatment. Ductal stenting as a bridge procedure in small affected infants is a good alternative.