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Highlights of recent advances in pediatric cardiology
Since the start of the new year, there have been several studies that have advanced the field of pediatric cardiology.
Cardiology Today has compiled a list of several important stories recently published discussing the results of these studies and the impact they will have on the field of pediatric cardiology.
Wrist circumference may indicate CV risk in children with obesity
The measurement of wrist circumference in children and adolescents with obesity can help estimate CV risk, according to a study published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
Simona Zampetti , PhD, of the department of experimental medicine at Sapienza University in Rome, and colleagues analyzed data from 106 children (mean age, 10 years; 55 boys) with overweight or obesity.
Truncus arteriosus mortality remains high
Children who undergo truncus arteriosus repair have a high risk for mortality within the first year of life, with an operative mortality rate of 7% and a late mortality rate of 6%, according to a presentation at Cardiology 2018.
In the multicenter, retrospective cohort study, researchers analyzed data from 216 children from 15 hospitals who underwent truncus arteriosus repair without concomitant arch obstruction from 2009 to 2016.
Congenital heart disease increases risk for dementia
People with congenital heart disease who survived to adulthood had an elevated risk for dementia, particularly early-onset dementia, compared with the general population, according to a study published in Circulation.
“Previous studies showed that people born with heart defects have a higher risk of neurodevelopmental problems in childhood such as epilepsy and autism, but this is, to our knowledge, the first study to examine the potential for dementia later in adult life,” Carina N. Bagge, BSc, medical student in the department of clinical epidemiology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said in a press release.
Death from SIDS more likely in siblings of victims
Children with a sibling who died from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, had an increased risk for dying of SIDS compared with those in the general population, according to data presented at EHRA 2018.
“SIDS remains a leading cause of death during the first year of life, affecting thousands of infants each year in Europe and the U.S.,” Charlotte Glinge, MD, a PhD student at The Heart Centre at the University Hospital of Copenhagen in Denmark, said in a press release.
Oral ibuprofen boosts patent ductus arteriosus closure in preterm infants
Infants treated with a high dose of oral ibuprofen were more likely to have a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus closure compared with those treated with standard doses of IV indomethacin or IV ibuprofen, according to a systematic review and analysis published in JAMA.
Souvik Mitra, MD, assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and colleagues analyzed data from 4,802 preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus from 68 randomized trials. The trials analyzed the effects of an oral or IV formulation of ibuprofen, indomethacin or acetaminophen compared with placebo, another medication or no treatment on hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus. Studies with prophylactic medication use or surgery as a primary treatment modality were excluded.
Mortality risk elevated for adults with congenital heart disease on transplant waitlist
Compared with other patients on a waitlist for heart transplantation, adults with congenital heart disease have elevated risk for mortality while on the waitlist, an expert said at Cardiology 2018.
This suggests a separate waitlist for adults with congenital heart disease may be necessary, Victor Morell, MD, chief of the division of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, said during a presentation.
Mothers of children with congenital heart defects may have increased late CV risk
Women who gave birth to children with congenital heart defects may have elevated risk for CV hospitalization later in life, according to a study published in Circulation.
According to Nathalie Auger, MD, MSc, from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center, and colleagues, women who have given birth to infants with congenital heart defects may benefit from earlier attention to traditional CV risk factors and aggressive primary prevention strategies.
Statin exposure during pregnancy increases risk for ventricular septal defects in infants
ORLANDO, Fla. — Babies who were born to women who were exposed to statin therapy during the first trimester of pregnancy had increased risk for ventricular septal defects, according to a poster presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session.
“We’re getting younger and younger mothers on statins, and with such a young group of patients now, we never really fully studied whether those medications are going to be safe in the future,” Avetis Hekimian, MD, cardiology fellow at Kaiser Permanente, told Cardiology Today.
Smallest available heart valve receives FDA approval
The FDA announced the approval of a heart valve designed for pediatric patients has been expanded to include a size small enough to be used in newborn patients.
The approval of the valve (Masters Series Mechanical Heart Valve with Hemodynamic Plus Sewing Cuff, Abbott) now includes a 15-mm size, and that size of the device is now the smallest mechanical heart valve approved in the world, according to a press release from the agency.
Shorter childhood height increases risk for future stroke
Patients who were short at age 7 to 13 years have an increased risk for ischemic stroke, according to a study published in Stroke.
The risk for intracerebral hemorrhage was also increased in men who were short at age 7 to 13 years, but not in women.