Impact and outcomes of hyperglycemia among post-operative children who underwent repair of congenital cardiac defects in a tertiary care setup of Pakistan.

Objective: To determine frequency of postoperative hyperglycemia in children who underwent repair of Congenital Cardiac Defects (CCDs) in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan. The other objective was to compare outcomes in children with versus without postoperative hyperglycemia who underwent repair of CCDs in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan from October 3, 2020, to April 2, 2021. A total of 185 patients aged one month-18 years admitted to CICU underwent elective surgical repair of CCDs meeting the eligibility criteria were included. Glucose monitoring was collected at immediate, 4 and 8 postoperative hours on the first day and once daily on postoperative days Two and Three to assess hyperglycemia. Data including age, weight, gender, pre-operative diagnosis, type of surgery and variables such as CICU stay, duration of hospital stay and duration of mechanical ventilation were recorded.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 40.40±48.63 months. Out of 185 patients, 115 (62.2%) were male while 70 (37.8%) were female. Hyperglycemia was found to be in 182 (98.4%) patients. Out of 182 hyperglycemic patients, 53 (28.6%) had moderate hyperglycemia while 129 (69.7%) had severe hyperglycemia. Mean duration of hospital stays was 9.24±7.45, mean duration of pediatric CICU stays was 141.61±169.02 hours and mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 80.59±98.54 hours.

Conclusion: Hyperglycemia is a frequent finding in children who underwent repair of CCDs, and it is not significantly associated with duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital and CICU stay.