Valvuloplasty of fetal pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and hypoplastic right heart: Mid-term follow-up results

Objective:This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the results of mid-term follow-up after fetal pulmonary valvuloplasty(FPV)in fetuses with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum(PA/IVS).Methods:From August 31,2018,to May 31,2019,seven fetuses with PA/IVS and hypoplastic right heart were included in this study.All underwent echocardiography by the same specialist and were operated on by the same team.Intervention and echocardiography data were collected,and changes in the associated indices noted during follow-up were analyzed.Results:All seven fetuses successfully underwent FPV.The median gestational age at FPV was 27.54 weeks.The average FPV procedural time was 6 min.Persistent bradycardia requiring treatment occurred in 4/7 procedures.Finally,five pregnancies were successfully delivered,and the other two were aborted.Compared to data before fetal cardiac interventions(FCI),tricuspid valve annulus diameter/mitral valve annulus diameter(TV/MV)and right ventricle diameter/left ventricle diameter(RV/LV)of all fetuses had progressively improved.The maximum tricuspid regurgitation velocity decreased from 4.60 m/s to 3.64 m/s.The average follow-up time was 30.40±2.05 months.During the follow-up period,the diameter of the tricuspid valve ring in five children continued to improve,and the development rate of the tricuspid valve was relatively obvious from 6 months to 1 year after birth.However,the development of the right ventricle after birth was relatively slow.It was discovered that there were individual variations in the development of the right ventricle during follow-up.Conclusion:The findings support the potential for the development of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve in fetuses with PA/IVS who underwent FCI.Development of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve does not occur synchronously during pregnancy.The right ventricle develops rapidly in utero,but the development of tricuspid valve is more apparent after birth than in utero.

Is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome a risk factor for pulmonary thromboembolism？

Background In many studies, obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） has been shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Conversely, there are few reports establishing possible relation between OSA and venous thromboembolism （VTE）. In this study, the aim is to evaluate OSA via polysomnography in patients with pulmonary embolism and drawing the attention of clinicians to the presence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome （OSAS） may be a risk factor for pulmonary embolism. Methods Fifty consecutive patients who were diagnosed with pulmonary embolism （PE） were evaluated prospectively for OSAS. Polysomnographic examination was conducted on 30 volunteer patients. The frequency of OSAS in PE was determined and PE cases were compared to each other after being divided into two groups based on the presence of a major risk factor. Results The study consisted of a total of 30 patients （14 females and 16 males）. In 56.7% of the patients （17/30）, OSAS was determined. The percent of cases with moderate and severe OSAS （apnea hipoapnea index 〉15） was 26.7% （8/30）. Patients who had pulmonary thromboembolism （PTE） without any known major VTE risk （n=20）, were compared to patients with VTE risk factors （n=10）, and significantly higher rates of OSAS were seen （70% and 30% respectively; P=0.045）. The mean age of the group with major PE risk factors was lower than the group without major PE risk factors （52 years old and 66 years old, respectively; P=0.015）, however, weight was greater in the group with major PE risk factors （88 kg and 81 kg, respectively; P=-0.025）. By multivariate Logistic regression analysis, in the group without any visible major risk factors, the only independent risk factor for PE was OSAS （P=0.049）. Conclusions In patients with PTE, OSA rates were much higher than in the general population. Moreover, the rate for patients with clinically significant moderate and severe OSA was quite high. PTE patients with OSA symptoms （not syndromes） and without known major risk factor should be examined for OSA. There seems to be a relationship between OSA and PTE. However, whether this relationship is a causal relationship or a relationship due to common risk factors or long-term complications of OSA is not clear. Further comprehensive studies on those special topics are needed to clarify these points.

Prophylaxis of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome by intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant

Background Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) is caused by a deficiency in pulmonary surfactant (PS) and is one of the main reasons of neonatal mortality. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant for prophylaxis of NRDS. Methods Forty-five pregnant women who were due for preterm delivery and whose fetuses’ lungs proved immature were divided into two groups. Fifteen women (study group) were administered one dose of pulmonary surfactant injected into the amniotic cavity and delivered within several hours. Nothing was injected into the amniotic cavity of 30 women of the control group. The proportion of neonatal asphyxia,NRDS,mortality and the time in hospital were analyzed to determine if there was any difference between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups for neonatal asphyxia. Foam tests showed that higher proportion of neonates in the study group than in the control group (56.3% vs 13.3%, P <0.05) had lung maturity. A greater number of control neonates (11/30,32.3%) had NRDS,compared with the neonates given PS via the amniotic cavity before delivery (1/16,6.3%, P <0.05). The neonates in the study group spent nearly 10 days less in hospital than the control group [(32.4±7.6) days vs (42.0±15.7) days,P <0.05],but the difference in mortality between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusions Intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant can significantly reduce the proportion of NRDS and the time in hospital of preterm neonates. Whether this method can reduce the mortality of preterm neonates needs to be evaluated further. Intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant provides an additional effectual means for NRDS prophylaxis.

Clinical study on high-resolution CT and pulmonary function in severe acute respiratory syndrome patients during recovery phase

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, firstly broke out in November 2002 in Guangdong and prevailed quickly in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other regions of China. It was one of the most potential pandemic diseases and had affected more than 20 other countries.^(1,2) There have been a lot of resear-ches^(2-7) in terms of its etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnostics, treatment and prevention, vaccines and so on.Along with control of the epidemic situation, a great number of SARS patients were in the recovery phase, therefore, we undertook a half-year follow-up investigation on their clinical, laboratory and image situations.

Carvedilol therapy for patients with Eisenmenger syndrome

Background： Eisenmenger syndrome is characterized by the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension with resultant intracardiac right-to-left shunt and hypoxemia in patients with congenital heart defects. In clinical practice, we found that these patients might benefit from carvedilol therapy. Thus, we designed this prospective, open label, observational study to evaluate the efficacy of carvedilol for patients with Eisenmenger syndrome. Methods Twenty patients（17.5 ± 4.8 years） with Eisenmenger syndrome were treated with carvedilol for 6 weeks. The efficacy of carvedilol on 6-minute walking distance, World Health Organization（WHO） functional class, arterial oxygen saturation and right ventricle systolic pressure were assessed.Results At the end of observation, change from baseline in 6-minute walking distance increased 36.35 meters（95% confidence intervals [CI] 25.43 to 47.27 m, P 〈 0.01）. WHO functional class was also significantly improved（P 〈 0.05）. Change from baseline in right ventricular systolic pressure assessed by echo was reduced by 8.11 mm Hg（95% confidence intervals [CI],-10.78 to-5.44 mm Hg, P 〈 0.05）. However, arterial oxygen saturation remained unchanged（87.5 ± 3.02 % at baseline versus 87.80 ± 7.29 % at the end of observation）. Conclusions Carvedilol can improve clinical function, symptoms as well as exercise capacity in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome. These findings need to be confirmed in further randomized clinical trials.