Epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric cardiac arrest in a cardiovascular unit at a public hospital in Argentina.

Background: Children with congenital heart disease present a higher frequency of cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) than the general pediatric population. The epidemiology of CRA is not exactly known in our setting, nor are the mortality risk or the neurological evolution factors.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology and outcomes associated with pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a cardiovascular recovery unit.

[Neonatal cardiac surgery: assessment and comparison of surgical results using the RACHS-1 risk adjustment method].

Introduction: The RACHS-1 method (Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery) is widely used to predict mortality and risk adjustment in pediatric cardiovascular surgery and constitutes a valid tool to compare results among different health centers.

Objective: To analyze if the mortality observed in the neonatal group is related to age and/or the risk stratification according to RACHS-1.

Methods: From March 2001 to May 2008 we operated on 751 consecutive patients: 160 neonates (0-30 days), 309 infants (31 days-1 year) and 282 olders (1-18 years).