Study of Neonatal Cardiac Catheterization for Over the Last 10 Years

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The neonatal cardiac catheterization and angiogram for transcatheter therapy are still essential methods in congenital heart disease, so we reviewed our experience with neonatal cardiac catheterization over 10 years at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective review of all 139 neonatal catheterizations from January 1991 to December 2000 at Sejong Heart Institution was performed. The purpose of the catheterizations, ages, body weights and the complications by the exam was surveyed. RESULTS:The mean age of our 139 patients was 14.9 days and the mean body weight was 3.3 kg. As for the diagnosis TGA in 49 patients, PAIVS in 26 patients, DORV in 14 patients, PS in 14 patients, PAVSD in 11 patients. For the cardiac catheterization, general anesthesia was performed in 65% of total and fluoroscopy time was 20.1+/-14.5 minutes during cardiac catheterization. In the interventional cardiac catheterization which was 75% of the total, the age and body weight were statistically the same but the irradiation time was longer than the diagnostic catheterization(P=0.001). There were 48 cases of atrial septostomy, 16 cases of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty and 25 cases of transcatheter pulmonary valvotomy. Complications of cardiac catheterization were found in 16.3%, but there was no difference between interventional catheterization and diagnostic catheterization. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic cardiac catheterization in neonates is a relatively safe and effective method in congenital heart disease.