Insights from 3D Echocardiography in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Patients Undergoing TV Repair.

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is associated with morbidity and mortality. TR mechanisms and the impact of tricuspid valve repair (TVR) are unclear. We examined HLHS TR mechanisms, TVR's impact on tricuspid valve (TV), and features of poor TVR durability.

Echocardiographic Screening for Postoperative Pericardial Effusion in Children.

Pericardial effusion (PE) after cardiac surgery can be life threatening without timely detection, and the optimal screening method is unknown. We sought to evaluate the role of a surveillance echocardiogram on postoperative day 10 (± 2), determine the incidence of postoperative PE, and identify risk factors. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all pediatric patients who underwent open heart surgery at a single institution over a 7-month period.

Impact of early surgical correction or palliation of congenital heart defects in infants with symptomatic viral respiratory tract infections in the current era.

Objective: This study investigates the influence of timing of surgery among infants with congenital heart disease and active respiratory tract infections in a contemporary Western Canadian cohort.

Methods: This was a retrospective matched cohort study of infants aged 1 week to 6 months undergoing surgical repair of congenital heart disease between 2014 and 2017. Case patients had active respiratory tract infections preoperatively and were matched to control patients based on primary heart lesion.

Tricuspid Regurgitation in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Three-Dimensional Echocardiography Provides Additional Information in Describing Jet Location.

Background: Twenty-five percent of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) require tricuspid valve (TV) repair. The location of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is important in determining the type of repair performed. Studies using three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) have reported a high incidence of error on two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) for the identification of TV leaflets.

Fetal Umbilical Arterial Pulsatility Correlates With 2-Year Growth and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk of adverse long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, believed to be, in part, secondary to prenatal insults. Placental pathology and altered fetal middle cerebral arterial (MCA) flow suggestive of brain sparing have been documented in fetal CHD. In the present study we investigated the relationship between MCA and umbilical arterial (UA) flow patterns in fetal transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and growth and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes.