Atrial Fibrillation ; pathology ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Veins ; pathology ; Vena Cava, Superior ; pathology

BACKGROUND: Closure of a secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) is possible through surgical intervention or device placement. During surgical intervention, concomitant pathologies are corrected. The present study was conducted to investigate the outcomes of surgical ASD closure, to determine the risk factors of mortality, and establish the effects of concomitant disease correction. METHODS: Between October 1989 and October 2009, 693 adults underwent surgery for secundum ASD. Their mean age was 40.9±13.1 years, and 199 (28.7%) were male. Preoperatively, atrial fibrillation was noted in 39 patients (5.6%) and significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in 137 patients (19.8%). The mean follow-up duration was 12.4±4.7 years. RESULTS: There was no 30-day mortality. The 1-, 5-, 10-, and 20-year survival rates were 99.4%, 96.8%, 94.5%, and 81.6%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, significant preoperative TR (hazard ratio [HR], 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 3.16; p=0.023) and preoperative age (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.06; p=0.001) were independent risk factors for late mortality. The TR grade significantly decreased after ASD closure with tricuspid repair. However, in patients with more than mild TR, repair was not associated with improved long-term survival (p=0.518). CONCLUSION: Surgical ASD closure is safe. Significant preoperative TR and age showed a strong negative correlation with survival. Our data showed that tricuspid valve repair improved the TR grade effectively. However, no effect on long-term survival was found. Therefore, early surgery before the development of significant TR mat be beneficial for improving postoperative survival.
Adult ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pathology ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

BACKGROUNDCongenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital malformations with high mortality and morbidity. The prevalence of CHD reported previously ranged from 4 per 1000 live births to 50 per 1000 live births. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to document the prevalence of CHD in Langfang district of Hebei Province, China by analyzing data collected by hospitals located in 11 the counties of the district, as supported by a public health campaign.

METHODSA total of 67,718 consecutive 3-month-old infants were included from July 19, 2012 to July 18, 2014. Structural abnormalities were diagnosed based on echocardiography findings, including two-dimensional and color Doppler echocardiography results.

RESULTSOf the 67,718 infants, 1554 were found to have cardiac structural abnormalities. The total prevalence of CHD was 22.9 per 1000 live births, a value significantly higher than the previously reported prevalence of 8 cases per 1000 live births. The top five most common cardiac abnormalities were as follows: atrial septal defect (ASD, 605 cases, 8.93‰); ventricular septal defect (550 cases, 8.12‰); patent ductus arteriosus (228 cases, 3.37‰); pulmonary stenosis (66 cases, 0.97‰); and tetralogy of Fallot (32 cases, 0.47‰). The CHD prevalence differed by gender in this study ( χ2 = 23.498,P < 0.001), and the majority of ASD cases were females. Regional differences in prevalence were also found ( χ2 = 24.602,P < 0.001); a higher prevalence was found in urban areas (32.2 cases per 1000 live births) than in rural areas (21.1 cases per 1000 live births). There was a significant difference in the prevalence of CHD in preterm versus full-term infants ( χ2 = 133.443,P < 0.001). Prevalence of CHD in infants of maternal aged 35 years or over was significantly higher ( χ2 = 86.917,P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of CHD in Langfang district was within the range reported using echocardiography. Echocardiography can be used to early diagnose the CHD.

China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ductus Arteriosus ; pathology ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; pathology ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; pathology

BACKGROUNDWhile echocardiography has been a pivotal screening test in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the presence of structural cardiac defects may affect the ability to reliably predict pulmonary artery pressures (PAPs). This study sought to evaluate the accuracy of Doppler echocardiography (DE) for estimating PAPs in adult atrial septal defect (ASD) patients with PAH.

METHODSA prospective study was carried out to compare the echocardiographic assessment of PAP with the same pressures obtained by right heart catheterization (RHC) in adult ASD patients with PAH who underwent simultaneous DE and RHC. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to evaluate the agreement between DE and RHC measurements of PAPs.

RESULTSTwo hundred and fifty-seven patients were included in the study. A significant overestimation of the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was reported by echocardiography compared with those by catheterization ((81.8 ± 26.9) mmHg vs. (72.9 ± 26.9) mmHg, P < 0.01; (51.9 ± 16.4) mmHg vs. (41.4 ± 17.2) mmHg, P < 0.01, respectively). Twenty-one percent (55/257) of the patients had PAH when estimated by echocardiography whereas showed normal results in the subsequent catheterization test. Using Bland-Altman analytic methods, the bias for the echocardiographic assessment of the sPAP was 9.1 mmHg with 95% limits of agreement ranging from -24.4 to 42.6 mmHg. For mPAP measurement, the bias was 10.5 mmHg with 95% limits of agreement ranging from -12.4 to 33.4 mmHg. On multiple linear regression analysis, age, gender, body surface area, ASDs' diameter, PVR, diastolic blood pressure, and echocardiographic assessment of right atrial pressure (RAP) explained 68.8% of the total variability in the model (r(2) = 0.688, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONInaccuracy was frequently reported in Doppler echocardiographic assessment of the PAP in adult ASD patients with PAH and was often associated with age, gender, body surface area, ASDs' diameter, pulmonary vascular resistance, diastolic blood pressure and echocardiographic estimation of RAP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; methods ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Artery ; pathology ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: For the successful completion of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects with the Amplatzer septal occluder, shape of the defects should be considered prior to selecting the device. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of a transcatheter closure of oval shaped atrial septal defect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2009 until November 2011, cardiac computed tomography was performed on 69 patients who needed a transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect. We defined an oval shaped atrial septal defect as the ratio of the shortest diameter to the longest diameter < or =0.75 measured using computed tomography. A trans-thoracic echocardiogram was performed one day after and six months after. RESULTS: The transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect was performed successfully in 24 patients in the ovoid group and 45 patients in the circular group. There were no serious complications in both groups and the complete closure rate at 6 months later was 92.3% in the ovoid group and 93.1% in the circular group (p>0.05). The differences between the device size to the longest diameter of the defect and the ratios of the device size to the longest diameter were significantly smaller in the ovoid group (1.8+/-2.8 vs. 3.7+/-2.6 and 1.1+/-0.1 vs. 1.2+/-0.2). CONCLUSION: Transcatheter closure of an oval shaped atrial septal defect was found to be safe with the smaller Amplatzer septal occluder device when compared with circular atrial septal defects.
Echocardiography ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/pathology/*surgery ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Septal Occluder Device/*adverse effects ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

We report a case of acute left ventricular failure at one hour after transcatheter closure of a secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) in a 28-year-old man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Afforded noninvasive mechanical ventilation and the administration of intravenous morphine and high doses of furosemide, the patient exhibited improvement of his clinical condition, reduction of pulmonary congestion at chest X-ray, and satisfactory blood gas analyses in twelve hours. Twenty-four hours later, the patient received oral administration of furosemide and metoprolol. After 7 days the patient was discharged in good clinical condition. At follow-up at 12 months, the patient had remained symptomatically improved from NYHA Class III symptoms before the procedure to Class II symptoms. There was no latent arrhythmia at the follow-up examination. Follow-up transthoracic echocardiography estimated an improvement of the left ventricular function. So, transcatheter closure of a secundum ASD in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is feasible, and a thorough understanding of the hemodynamic condition of ASD and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy will reduce the complication of ASD closure.
Adult ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Echocardiography ; Heart Failure ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Ventricular Function, Left

Despite considerable published papers regarding Ebstein's anomaly (EA) patients receiving open-heart tricuspid valve replacement, non-cardiac emergency surgeries were rarely reported. We report a case of emergency decompressive craniotomy in a patient with EA. Anesthesiologists should pay special attention to the complications and anesthetic management during the non-cardiac surgeries performed in EA patients.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; methods ; Craniotomy ; methods ; Ebstein Anomaly ; complications ; pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Male

INTRODUCTIONThe device closure of atrial septal defects has evolved over the years. In the early days of transcatheter occlusion, balloon sizing was used to choose an appropriate sized device. We postulate that balloon sizing does not value-add to the procedure and is unnecessary.

MATERIALS AND METHODSPatients who had balloon sizing, with (Group 1, n = 38) or without (Group 2, n = 21) atrial septal defect closure, were compared to another group (Group 3, n = 64) who had atrial septal defect closure without balloon sizing. Although the atrial septal defect size (mm) in those without balloon sizing (Group 3) compared to patients who had balloon sizing (Group 1) (18.3 +/- 5.4 vs 14.8 +/- 5.8; P = 0.021) was larger, the Amplatzer septal occluder size chosen (mm) (21.6 +/- 6.3 vs 21.2 +/- 8.1; P = 0.693) was similar.

RESULTSWe analysed the degree of absolute sizing, defined as [(Balloon or Amplatzer occluder size) - (transoesophageal echocardiography size)], versus relative sizing, which is defined as [(Balloon or Amplatzer occluder size)--(transoesophageal echocardiography size) / (Balloon or Amplatzer occluder size)]. It was evident that there was greater absolute and relative over-sizing (6.3 +/- 4.4 mm vs 4.2 +/- 2.1 mm; P = 0.009 and 28.3 +/- 15.4% vs 20.0 +/- 7.0%; P = 0.001, respectively) in patients with balloon sizing (Group 1) compared to those who did not (Group 3). Even a greater degree of absolute (5.1 +/- 3.9 mm vs 9.5 +/- 4.7 mm; P <0.001) and relative over-sizing (24.8 +/- 15.6% vs 33.0 +/- 13.6%; P = 0.001) was observed in patients who had balloon sizing but there was no closure (Group 2) compared to those who had balloon sizing and closure of their defects (Group 1).

CONCLUSIONOur results showed that balloon sizing tended to over-size the atrial septal defect. This may have an important bearing in selecting a larger device than necessary, or even precluding transcatheter closure of the larger atrial septal defects. It is also associated with increased procedural, fluoroscopy time and cost. We suggest that balloon sizing may no longer be necessary in the protocol of device closure of an atrial septal defect.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cardiac Catheterization ; instrumentation ; methods ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Septal Occluder Device ; Young Adult

The present study evaluated the application of three dimensional echocardigraphy (3DE) in the diagnosis of atrial septal defect (ASD) and the measurement of its size by 3DE and compared the size with surgical findings. Two-dimensional and real-time three dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) was performed in 26 patients with atrial septal defect, and the echocardiographic data were compared with the surgical findings. Significant correlation was found between defect diameter by RT3DE and that measured during surgery (r=0.77, P<0.001). The defect area changed significantly during cardiac cycle. Percentage change in defect size during cardiac cycle ranged from 6%-70%. Our study showed that the size and morphology of atrial septal defect obtained with RT3DE correlate well with surgical findings. Therefore, RT3DE is a feasible and accurate non-invasive imaging tool for assessment of atrial septal size and dynamic changes.
Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/*diagnosis ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/*pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/surgery ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; pathology