Two approaches for newborns with critical congenital heart disease: a comparative study

Background Prenatal diagnosis and planned peripartum care is an unexplored concept in China.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the“prenatal diagnosis and postnatal treatment integrated model”for newborns with critical congenital heart disease.Methods The medical records of neonates(≤28 days)admitted to Fuwai Hospital were reviewed retrospectively from January 2019 to December 2020.The patients were divided into“prenatal diagnosis and postnatal treatment integrated group”(n=47)and“non-integrated group”(n=69).Results The age of admission to the hospital and the age at surgery were earlier in the integrated group than in the non-integrated group(5.2±7.2 days vs.11.8±8.0 days,P<0.001;11.9±7.0 days vs.16.5±7.7 days,P=0.001,respectively).The weight at surgery also was lower in the integrated group than in the non-integrated group(3.3±0.4 kg vs.3.6±0.6 kg,P=0.010).Longer postoperative recovery time was needed in the integrated group,with a median mechanical ventilation time of 97 h(interquartile range 51–259 h)vs.69 h(29–168 h)(P=0.030)and with intensive care unit time of 13.0 days(8.0–21.0 days)vs.9.0 days(4.5–16.0 days)(P=0.048).No significant difference was observed in the all-cause mortality(2.1 vs.8.7%,P=0.238),but it was significantly lower in the integrated group for transposition of the great arteries(0 vs.18.8%,log rank P=0.032).Conclusions The prenatal diagnosis and postnatal treatment integrated model could significantly shorten the diagnosis and hospitalization interval of newborns,and surgical intervention could be performed with a lower risk of death,especially for transposition of the great arteries.

Contemporary treatments and outcomes of preterm infants with critical congenital heart disease in a tertiary cardiovascular institute in China

Background The survival rate of preterm infants with critical congenital heart disease （P-CCHD） has been improved by medicine advances. The aims of this study were to investigate the contemporary treatments for short-term outcomes of P-CCHD and to evaluate risk factors associated with the outcomes. Methods Sixty-four P-CCHD patients admitted to Guangdong General Hospital between 2011 and 2015 were included in this study. De-mographic characteristics and patient records were reviewed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk fac-tors of P-CCHD outcome. Results Thirty-six patients underwent surgical treatments for cardiac anomalies. Moreover, 31.25% of the P-CCHD infants did not receive surgery because these parents refused further treat-ment. The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.3% for the patients who underwent surgeries. During a median follow-up of 1.2 years, the survivors were basically healthy. However, mental and physical growth retardation remained. Conclusions Compared to infants in developed Western countries, the treatments and short-term outcomes of P-CCHD infants were satisfactory. However, the long-term outcomes remain to be determined.

Trajectories of oxygen saturation within 6–72 hours after birth in neonates at moderate altitude:a prospective longitudinal cohort study

Trajectories of pulse oxygen saturation(SpO_(2))within the first few days after birth are important to inform the strategy for identifying asymptomatic hypoxemic disease but remain poorly substantiated at higher altitudes.Methods We performed a longitudinal cohort study with consecutive neonates at a local hospital in Luchun County,China,at an altitude of 1650 m between January and July 2020.We repeatedly measured the pre-and post-ductal SpO_(2)values at 6,12,18,24,36,48,and 72 hours after birth for neonates without oxygen supplements.All neonates underwent echocardiography and were followed up to 42 days after discharge.We included neonates without hypoxemic diseases to characterize the trajectories of SpO_(2)over time using a linear mixed model.We considered the 2.5th percentile as the reference value to define hypoxemic conditions.Results A total of 1061 neonates were enrolled.Twenty-five had non-cardiac hypoxemic diseases,with 84%(21/25)presenting with abnormal SpO_(2)within 24 hours.One had tetralogy of Fallot identified by echocardiography.Among the 1035 asymptomatic neonates,SpO_(2)values declined from 6 hours after birth,reached a nadir at 48 hours,and tended to level off thereafter,with identical patterns for both pre-and post-ductal SpO_(2).The reference percentile was 92%for both pre-and post-ductal SpO_(2)and was time independent.Conclusions A decline within 48 hours features SpO_(2)trajectories within the first 72 hours at moderate altitude.Our findings suggest that earlier screening may favorably achieve a benefit–risk balance in identifying asymptomatic hypoxemic diseases in this population.