Complete Blalock-Taussig shunt obstruction in < 24 hours post-operative period in a neonate treated emergently using transcatheter angioplasty and low dose local recombinant TPA.

A 12-day-old infant with pulmonary atresia, intact ventricular septum, and pulmonary blood flow through a ductus arteriosus developed complete shunt obstruction within 12 hr of creation of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt. Low dose recombinant tissue plasminogen activator was administered locally as two 0.03 mg/kg bolus injections and was followed by balloon angioplasty.

Severity of mitral regurgitation predicts risk of death or cardiac transplantation in children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Clinical outcomes among children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) are diverse, which makes the decision as to when a patient should be listed for a cardiac transplantation challenging. This study aimed to determine echocardiographic and clinical variables that can help clinicians identify those at highest risk for death or cardiac transplantation. The study was a single-center, retrospective chart review of children with IDC.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased left ventricular mass and diastolic dysfunction in children with chronic kidney disease.

Cardiovascular disease currently is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Abnormalities in arterial compliance, increased left ventricular mass, and diastolic dysfunction are some of the recognized cardiovascular complications observed in these patients. This study explored the relationship between various parameters of calcium-phosphorus metabolism including 25-hydroxy vitamin D and cardiovascular structure and function in pediatric patients with CKD.

Vitamin D deficiency and arterial wall stiffness in children with chronic kidney disease.

Arterial wall stiffness is a recognized complication in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Vascular abnormalities in these patients are shown to predate cardiac abnormalities such as left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. The etiology of vascular abnormalities in these patients currently is not clear.