Screening Coarctation of Aorta with Clinical and Echocardiographic Profiles in Infants:A Pilot Study

Aim:To determine the profiles of clinical features including four-limb blood pressure(BP),saturations of peripheral oxygen(SpO2),and echocardiographic features in infants with coarctation of aorta(CoA)to facilitate congenital heart diseases screening.Methods:The charts of infants with CoA were retrospectively reviewed.All in-hospital infants suspected of congenital heart diseases by clinical teams were prospectively measured of four limbs BPs and SpO2 in a regional cardiac transferring center during 2013 and 2019.Echocardiography as a gold standard test was followed within 2 days after suspicion.All infants were divided into non-significant CoA group or significant CoA group based on the difference of BPs between right arm and lower limbs.Predictors of nonsignificant CoA were determined with multivariable logistic regression.Results:One hundred thirty-three infants with CoA were identified.The BPs on upper limbs were higher than those on lower limbs(P=0.001).No statistical difference in SpO2 was found between four limbs.Fifty-three(39.8%)infants presented with significant CoA.Thirty-four infants presented with low SpO2 and 26 of 34 presented with non-significant CoA.Small ascending aorta diameter[0.070(95%CI:0.005–0.136),P=0.036]was an independent risk factors for non-significant CoA.Eighteen(13.5%)infants with CoA didn’t present with any of the BP difference,low SpO2,murmur,or weak femoral pulse.Conclusion:Less than half of the infants with CoA presented with a significant BP difference.Another one fifth presented with low SpO2.Small ascending aorta diameter was an independent factor for non-significant CoA.