Cardiac Echography in Pediatrics at the Regional Hospital of Diourbel: Indication and Result

Childhood heart disease is a real public health problem. In our contexts, care remains a major challenge. Doppler echocardiography remains the essential examination for diagnosis. The objective of our study was to describe the different clinical indications for cardiac ultrasound in children and the main pediatric heart diseases at the Diourbel Heinrich Lübke Regional Hospital. This was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study spanning from 2020 to 2022;covering a series of 140 cases. The study was carried out using patient clinical observation sheets and consultation sheets. We identified 140 ultrasounds. The average age of patients was 35.96 months with extremes of 0.03 months and 192 months. The female sex was predominant, with an M/F sex ratio of 0.72. Ultrasound was systematically requested in 67.14% of the study population. The indications found were mainly: heart murmur, polymalformative syndrome, respiratory failure, bronchiolitis, cardiomegaly, suspicion of heart disease, cardiomegaly, pre-therapeutic and pre-operative assessment. A total of 71 cardiac abnormalities were found in 65 patients, i.e. a prevalence of 46.42%. Congenital heart disease was more frequent (found in 49 patients, a prevalence of 35%) and was dominated by the CIA. There was a female predominance in almost all heart diseases except in the case of endocarditis where codominance is found. Our study has made it possible, through echocardiography, to evaluate the indications for echocardiography in children, to determine the prevalence of heart disease in children and also to assess the relevance of requests for echocardiography.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Congenital Heart Disease with Left-to-Right Shunt: According to a Retrospective Study at Albert Royer’s National Children’s Hospital Center

Pulmonary arterial hypertension PAH is a progressive disease characterized by an increase in pulmonary arterial pressure and resistance. It often complicates congenital heart disease with a left-to-right shunt. The objective of this study is to evaluate the evolutionary profile of the pulmonary pressures of children with congenital heart disease with left-to-right shunt and to identify the factors favoring an evolution towards PAH. This is a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study over a period of four years and six months (from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020) at the Center National d’Enfant Albert Royer in Dakar on a series of 87 cases. The hospital frequency was 3.98 per thousand, and the incidence of PAH was 9.44%. The sex ratio of 0.74. The average age was 44.76 months. The average time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of heart disease is 78.81 days. Dyspnea was found in 70.11% of cases, the burst of pulmonary B2 was found in 55%. Global heart failure was noted in 39.08% of cases. Cardiomegaly was found in 89.66% and pulmonary hypervascularization was found in 57.72% of cases. CIV was present in 54.02% of cases, followed by PCA in 21.14% and CAVc in 18.39% of cases. furosemide was used in 97.70% of cases and Captopril in 74.71% of cases. Sildenafil was used in 10.34% of patients, and 12.64% of patients benefited from surgical management. Eisenmenger syndrome was found in 12.64% of patients. PAH in these heart diseases is a formidable and frequent complication, due to an increase in precapillary flow. The major improvement in mortality and morbidity is early surgical management, in the first months of life, to prevent pulmonary vascular disease.

Congenital Cyanogenic Heart Disease in Children: About 420 Cases in Africa

Congenital cyanogenic heart disease (CCHD) is a malformation of the heart and large vessels characterized by an oxygen desaturation in the arterial blood, responsible for cyanosis. The general objective was to study the profile of CCHD in Senegalese hospitals. This is a retrospective study carried out over a period of 8 years (January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2017) and including all children aged 0 to 16 years followed for a CCHD. The hospital prevalence was 0.87% for 420 cases collected. The sex ratio was 1.44 and the average age at diagnosis was 16 months. First degree parental consanguinity was noted in 36 cases (30.78%). The main reasons for consultation were breathing difficulty in 242 cases (57.62%) and fever in 136 patients (32.36%). Apart from cyanosis, the clinical signs were dominated by the heart murmur in 313 cases (74.7%), tachycardia in 283 cases (67.38%) and digital hippocratism in 162 cases (38.57%). Cardiomegaly was found in 239 patients (83.36%). The main types of CCHD were tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the large vessels. In biology, 206 patients (49.05%) presented polyglobulia. A complete surgical cure was carried out in 22 patients (5.24%). Complications were anoxic crisis (52 cases) and hemorrhagic syndrome (17 cases). There were 97 deaths (28.28%) during hospitalization. The diagnosis of CCHD is late in our country and surgical management is poor explaining the high mortality.

Neonatal Mortality in Rural Area in Senegal

Most newborn deaths occur in two regions of the world, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In Senegal, much progress has been made over the past two decades with a reduction in overall infant mortality by 38%. However, the decline in neonatal mortality has been slower during the same period. The objective of this study is to assess neonatal mortality, to determine the different causes and to make recommendations for improving care in rural areas. This is a retrospective study with a descriptive and analytical aim carried out in the pediatrics department of the Diourbel regional hospital, 130 km from Dakar, the Senegalese capital, over a 12-month period from January 1 to January 31, December 2018. All newborns hospitalized in the pediatric ward during the study period were included. Overall mortality was 30.6%, newborns between 0 and 7 days accounted for 90.6% of deaths, INBORNs accounted for 62.3% of deaths. Newborns whose mother’s age was between 20 and 35 years of age accounted for 69.3% of deaths. Newborns of first-time mothers accounted for 40.2% of deaths and those of multiparous mothers 31%. Newborns who did not reach term accounted for 58.9% of deaths. Newborns admitted for respiratory distress represented the majority of deaths 45.5% (n = 93) followed by those with low birth weight 32.5 (n = 65) followed by those with neurological manifestations 30.5 (n = 62). Conclusion: Neonatal mortality is very high in the Diourbel region and the main cause is the lack of human resources and a very insufficient technical platform. The fight against this mortality involves improving the technical platform and recruiting sufficient and well-trained staff.