PFO Device Complications: Literature Review and Possible Implications for Echocardiographic Follow-Up.

Introduction: Transthoracic (TTE) follow up guidelines after PFO device closure are vague. The primary goal of this study was to perform a literature search to characterize the timing of complications that occur after PFO device placement to determine the utility of long-term routine TTE.

Methods: A search was performed in Medline (PubMed) with English language and publication date (2000-2023) filters were applied.

Update of How Pediatric Cardiologists Noninvasively Evaluate Patients with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: 2013 vs. 2023.

Noninvasive functional assessment of systemic right ventricles (RV) in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is challenging. This study aimed to compare pediatric cardiologists' current noninvasive imaging practices to those reported in 2013. A web-based survey was distributed to pediatric cardiologists via various listservs which queried timing of echocardiograms during HLHS palliative stages and measurements of RV function.

Associations of Impulsivity and Risky Decision-Making with E-Cigarette-Related Outcomes Among Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease: Variable- and Person-Oriented Approaches.

Adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) have elevated risk for acquired cardiovascular complications, increasing their vulnerability to e-cigarette-related health harms. Impulsivity and risky decision-making have been associated with adolescent substance use, but the relationships between these factors and e-cigarette-related outcomes among cardiovascular at-risk adolescents with CHD are unknown. This cross-sectional study aimed to (a) determine the associations of impulsivity and risky decision-making with e-cigarette-related outcomes (i.

The Utility of Screening Fetal Echocardiograms Following Normal Level II Ultrasounds in Fetuses with Maternal Congenital Heart Disease.

Introduction: Fetal echocardiograms (F-echo) are recommended in all pregnancies when maternal congenital heart disease (CHD) is present, even if there was a prior level II ultrasound (LII-US) that was normal. The goal of this study was to evaluate if any diagnosis of a critical CHD was missed in a fetus with maternal CHD who had a normal LII-US.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of all F-echoes where the indication was maternal CHD between 1/1/2015 to 12/31/2022 was performed.

Intracardiac thrombi in pediatrics: anticoagulation approach and treatment outcomes.

Background: Intracardiac thrombi (ICT) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Anticoagulation is the first line of treatment and may be complemented by thrombectomy or thrombolysis. However, optimal anticoagulant duration remains ill-defined.