Heart rate in newborns is associated with age, sex and maternal levothyroxine therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the definition and causes of neonatal bradycardias.

Methods: This retrospective study included 135 term-born newborns referred for 24-hour Holter monitoring due to bradycardia. Bradycardia was defined as either a heart rate below 80 beats per minute (standard definition) or a heart rate below our recently published age-specific reference values for neonatal heart rate.

Recessive TMOD1 mutation causes childhood cardiomyopathy.

Familial cardiomyopathy in pediatric stages is a poorly understood presentation of heart disease in children that is attributed to pathogenic mutations. Through exome sequencing, we report a homozygous variant in tropomodulin 1 (TMOD1; c.565C>T, p.

Younger postnatal age is associated with a lower heart rate on Holter monitoring during the first week of life.

Unlabelled: To evaluate heart rate (HR), the presence of extrasystoles and other Holter findings among healthy newborns, and to collect data for new normal limits for Holter parameters in newborns. For this cross-sectional study, 70 healthy term newborns were recruited to undergo 24-h Holter monitoring. Linear regression analysis was used in HR analyses.

Multicenter cohort study on duration of antiarrhythmic medication for supraventricular tachycardia in infants.

Antiarrhythmic medication (AM) is commonly used to prevent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) recurrence in infants. Our aim was to determine whether a shorter duration of AM is sufficient to prevent atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) recurrence and evaluate risk factors for recurrence of SVT after discontinued AM.This multicenter cohort study included all infants diagnosed with SVT in the five university hospitals in Finland between 2005 and 2017.

Extrasystoles or short bradycardias of the newborn seldom require subsequent 24-hour electrocardiographic monitoring.

Aim: To retrospectively assess the indications for and findings on 24-hour electrocardiographic (Holter) monitoring in newborns, focussing on bradycardias and extrasystoles.

Methods: Data included 337 term-born infants. Holter indications were categorised into bradycardias below 80 beats per minute, extrasystoles, any tachycardia and other.

Cardiac Function After Cardiotoxic Treatments for Childhood Cancer-Left Ventricular Longitudinal Strain in Screening.

The majority of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) have been exposed to cardiotoxic treatments and often present with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Our aim was to evaluate the value of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain for increasing the sensitivity of cardiac dysfunction detection among CCSs. We combined two national cohorts: neuroblastoma and other childhood cancer survivors treated with anthracyclines.

3-Year Follow-Up of Radiation-Associated Changes in Diastolic Function by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) results in myocardial changes consisting of diffuse fibrosis, which may result in changes in diastolic function.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore RT-associated changes in left ventricular (LV) diastolic function.

Methods: Sixty chemotherapy-naive patients with left-sided, early-stage breast cancer were studied with speckle tracking echocardiography at 3 time points: prior to, immediately after, and 3 years after RT.

Velocity vector imaging shows normal cardiac systolic function in survivors of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia at six to 16 years of age.

Aim: This study evaluated global myocardial function and associations between cardiac function and lung function in very low birth weight (VLBW) children, with and without severe radiographic bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), at six to 14 years of age.

Methods: We studied 34 VLBW and 19 term-born controls, and the VLBW group was further divided into a BPD group with severe radiographic BPD and those without radiographic BPD in infancy. Detailed right and left ventricular myocardial functions were analysed by velocity vector imaging, and the left ventricular mass was calculated.

Radiotherapy-induced global and regional differences in early-stage left-sided versus right-sided breast cancer patients: speckle tracking echocardiography study.

Radiotherapy (RT) to the thoracic region increases late cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The impact of breast cancer laterality on cardiac function is largely unknown. The aim of this prospective study was to compare RT-induced changes in left-sided and right-sided breast cancer patients using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE).

Very low birthweight bronchopulmonary dysplasia survivors had similar cardiac outcomes to controls at six years to 14 years of age.

Aim: This study evaluated cardiac function and its associations with lung function and neonatal pulmonary morbidity in very low birthweight (VLBW) children, with and without severe radiographic bronchopulmonary dysplasia (radBPD), at school age.

Methods: We examined 18 VLBW children with radBPD, 17 VLBW children without radBPD and 18 healthy term-born children using conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, speckle tracking echocardiography and real-time three-dimensional echocardiography at six years to 14 years of age. Lung function was studied by impulse oscillometry.

Speckle tracking echocardiography detects decreased cardiac longitudinal function in anthracycline-exposed survivors of childhood cancer.

Unlabelled: Longitudinal motion significantly contributes to the contraction of the ventricles. We studied the left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal functions in 75 anthracycline-exposed, long-term childhood cancer survivors and 75 healthy controls with conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) of the mitral and tricuspid annular motion, and real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed on 61 of the survivors.

Cardiac biomarkers indicate a need for sensitive cardiac imaging among long-term childhood cancer survivors exposed to anthracyclines.

Aim: The role that plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponins T (cTnT) and I (cTnI) play in supplementing imaging to screen for cardiac late effects remains controversial and the impact of high-sensitivity cTnT and troponin-specific autoantibodies (cTnAAbs) remains unexplored. We studied the role of cardiac biomarkers as indicators of the late effects of anthracyclines among childhood cancer survivors.

Methods: We measured NT-proBNP, cTnT, high-sensitivity cTnT, cTnI and cTnAAbs in 76 childhood cancer survivors at a median of 9 years after primary diagnosis.

Three-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the screening of long-term survivors of childhood cancer after cardiotoxic therapy.

The left ventricular (LV) volumes, ejection fraction (EF), and dyssynchrony indexes for the 16 and 12 cardiac segments (Tmsv16-SD and Tmsv12-SD, respectively) were analyzed among nonadult, anthracycline-exposed long-term survivors of childhood cancer and compared with those of healthy controls using conventional and real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in a prospective, cross-sectional, single tertiary center setting. Seventy-one survivors and gender-, body surface area-, and age-matched healthy controls were studied by conventional echocardiography and RT-3DE. Fifty-eight of the 71 survivors underwent also CMR.

Cardiac troponin I, cardiac troponin-specific autoantibodies and natriuretic peptides in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Objectives: To evaluate serum levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), autoantibodies against cardiac troponin (cTnAAbs) and natriuretic peptides during the treatment protocol in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Methods: In a prospective study, we had 18 consecutive children with HLHS, for whom serum samples were analysed before the Norwood operation, before the bidirectional Glenn (BDG) operation, at the age of one year and before total cavo-pulmonary connection (TCPC). In addition, we performed a cross-sectional study in 22 children examined before TCPC.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the late effects of anthracyclines among long-term survivors of childhood cancer.

Objectives: This study sought to examine the left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) function and signs of focal fibrosis among long-term survivors of childhood cancer with the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Background: Increased myocardial fibrosis has been detected in the endomyocardial biopsies of survivors. CMR has established its role in the assessment of both cardiac function and structure, and focal fibrosis of the myocardium is detectable with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE).

Cardiac troponin I in congenital heart defects with pressure or volume overload.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and autoantibodies to cTn in children with congenital heart defects with volume or pressure overload fulfilling the criteria for treatment, and in healthy children.

Design: The study groups comprised 78 children with volume overload caused by an atrial septal defect or a patent ductus arteriosus, and 60 children with pressure overload caused by coarctation of the aorta or stenosis of the aortic or the pulmonary valve, and 74 healthy controls. Serum levels of natriuretic peptides, cTnI, and autoantibodies to cTn were analyzed at baseline, prior to treatment and in 64 patients 6 months after treatment.

Bilateral absence of the superior vena cava.

Bilateral absence of the superior vena cava (SVC) is a very rarely detected, mainly asymptomatic congenital vascular anomaly. Though usually innocent, this anomaly may complicate cardiothoracic surgery and certain procedures like central venous catheter insertion. This SVC anomaly is poorly known, and we assume that its incidence in the general population may be higher than detected.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an inherited arrhythmogenic disorder that causes syncopal episodes related with stress or emotion and even sudden cardiac deaths. Signs and symptoms usually begin in childhood. A suspicion of CPVT should be kept in mind when a child or an adolescent suddenly loses consciousness, particularly if this happens upon physical exercise or sudden mental stress.

Hemodynamic improvement is faster after percutaneous ASD closure than after surgery.

Objectives: Hemodynamic effects of surgical and percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) were evaluated.

Background: ASD causes volume overload of right ventricle (RV) and is associated with distortion and dysfunction of left ventricle (LV). The amount and timing of hemodynamic changes after ASD closure are not well known.

Diastolic dysfunction without left ventricular hypertrophy is an early finding in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-causing mutations in the beta-myosin heavy chain, alpha-tropomyosin, and myosin-binding protein C genes.

Objectives: We investigated the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and features of diastolic dysfunction in genotype-confirmed children from families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and healthy control children.

Background: In subjects with HCM-causing mutations, LVH usually does not evolve until adolescence. Diastolic dysfunction has not been systematically evaluated in children carrying HCM-causing mutations.

Normal aortic dimensions and flow in 168 children and young adults.

Background: Knowledge of normal aortic dimensions is important while evaluating children with aortic root dilatation.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to create normal values for aortic dimensions with two-dimensional echocardiography and for aortic flow velocities with Doppler echocardiography in healthy children and young adults.

Design And Patients: One hundred and sixty-eight healthy children were studied by a single observer using digitized two-dimensional (2DE) and Doppler echocardiography.

Long-term prospective follow-up study of cardiac function after cardiotoxic therapy for malignancy in children.

Purpose: To evaluate cardiac function by means of conventional and three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and measurement of natriuretic peptides in children and adolescents previously treated for childhood malignancy using individual follow-up data and matched control children as reference criteria.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-nine survivors of childhood malignancy were examined in 1994 and 1998. The mean time from the diagnosis was 8.