Publications by authors named "N J M Bravo-Valenzuela"
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common congenital defect, occurring in approximately 1 in 100 live births and being a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Of note, approximately 25% of these defects are classified as critical, requiring immediate postnatal care by pediatric cardiology and neonatal cardiac surgery teams. Consequently, early and accurate diagnosis of CHD is key to proper prenatal and postnatal monitoring in a tertiary care setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluence of pre-existing maternal diabetes mellitus on fetal myocardial performance index and systolic-to-diastolic duration ratio: a prospective cohort study.
Cardiol Young
December 2024
Objective: To evaluate the influence of pre-existing maternal diabetes mellitus on fetal myocardial performance index and systolic-to-diastolic duration ratio.
Methods: Prospective cohort study included 179 pregnant women between 20 and 36w6d, divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (120, normal), Group 2 (31, type 1 diabetes mellitus), and Group 3 (28, type 2 diabetes mellitus). Systolic-to-diastolic duration ratio was calculated as the sum of isovolumic contraction time and ejection time divided by the sum of isovolumic relaxation time and ventricular filling time.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to develop equations for calculating Z-scores and create percentile reference tables for 19 different fetal cardiac structures during gestation weeks 18 to 34.
- Conducted on 340 normal fetuses, methods included measuring various heart structures and using regression analysis with gestational age, biparietal diameter, and femur length as independent variables.
- Results showed high determination coefficients for the equations, particularly using gestational age, and all measurements had excellent reproducibility, indicating reliability in the data collected.
Three-dimensional navigation allows in a virtual reality environment across the fetal heart structures using glasses and joysticks. This technology allows virtual interactive discussions among multidisciplinary teams providing new perspectives on diagnosis and planning possible surgical corrections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study analyzed prenatal cardiac ultrasound markers in 35 fetuses diagnosed with Ebstein's anomaly (EA) across three countries, focusing on perinatal mortality and outcomes through retrospective data analysis.
- - Out of 29 fetuses eligible for the study, 53.1% were born alive, while others faced a mix of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and fetal deaths; among the surviving patients, most underwent successful biventricular repair surgery postnatally.
- - The findings indicated that severe tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary atresia were common, with significant cardiomegaly noted in many cases, while a few fetuses exhibited abnormal karyotypes linked to poorer outcomes.