Prognostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise test in children with congenital heart defects.

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has an important prognostic value in adults with different congenital heart defects (CHDs) and is a useful tool for risk stratification and clinical decision-making. In this retrospective study, we studied the prognostic value of CPET in paediatric patients with CHD.

Methods: 411 CPET performed by paediatric patients with different CHDs were evaluated in this retrospective study.

Functional Echocardiographic and Serum Biomarker Changes Following Surgical and Percutaneous Atrial Septal Defect Closure in Children.

Background Ventricular performance is temporarily reduced following surgical atrial septal defect closure. Cardiopulmonary bypass and changes in loading conditions are considered important factors, but this phenomenon is incompletely understood. We aim to characterize biventricular performance following surgical and percutaneous atrial septal defect closure and to relate biomarkers to ventricular performance following intervention.

Left and Right Ventricular Impairment Shortly After Correction of Tetralogy of Fallot.

Surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) is usually performed in the first months of life with low early postoperative mortality. During long-term follow-up, however, both right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) performances may deteriorate. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and speckle tracking echocardiography (ST) can unmask a diminished RV and LV performance.

Pandemic H1N1 influenza-associated hospitalizations in children in Madrid, Spain.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children hospitalized with 2009 pandemic influenza (pH1N1) in Madrid, Spain.

Patients/methods: We included patients less than 14 years of age admitted to one of 18 hospitals in Madrid, Spain, between May 1 and November 30, 2009 and diagnosed with pH1N1 by polymerase chain reaction. A retrospective chart review was conducted and data were compared by age, presence of high-risk medical conditions, and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission.