Current patterns of infective endocarditis in congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the changing profile of infective endocarditis in patients with congenital heart disease. METHODS: All cases diagnosed from 1966 to 2001 (revised Duke criteria) were retrospectively reviewed and categorised in periods I (< 1990) and II (>or= 1990). RESULTS: 153 episodes occurred, 81 in period I and 72 in period II. Mean age of affected patients was higher in period II. Non-operated ventricular septal defect, Rastelli correction and palliated cyanotic heart disease increased. Infective endocarditis in corrective surgery changed to patients with prosthetic material. Post-surgical cases decreased. Dental problems were the leading cause (period I 20% v II 33% of cases) with a large variety of pathological organisms (multiple species of Streptococcus). Cutaneous causative infections increased (5% to 17%) with different species of Staphylococcus. Negative blood cultures lessened (20% to 7%, p = 0.03). Streptococci were the most common causative organisms in both periods. Severe heart failure and cardiac complications lessened (20% to 4% and 31% to 18% during periods I and II, respectively). Early surgery was more frequent in period II (32% v 18.5%, p = 0.02). One- and 10-year survival was 91% v 97% in period I and 89% v 97% in period II, respectively (NS). CONCLUSION: Current targets include complex cyanotic disease, congenital heart disease corrected with prosthetic material and small ventricular septal defect. Postoperative cases lessened; dental and cutaneous causes increased. Survival was unchanged. Prophylactic measures targeted at dental and cutaneous sources should be emphasised.

[Characteristics of infectious endocarditis in ventricular septal defects in children and adults]. / Caractéristiques de l'endocardite infectieuse sur communication interventriculaire chez l'enfant et l'adulte.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse cases of infectious endocarditis (IE) of native or repaired ventricular septal defects (VSD) to determine its incidence, the circumstances of its occurrences, the outcome and prognosis of this complication. From 1966 to 2002, 36 IE occurred in 19 boys and 17 girls: the age at diagnosis was 13.4 +/- 11.8 years; 26 had an isolated VSD and 10 had VSD associated with a minor lesion. Eleven of the 36 cases (30.5%) had been previously operated: repair of an isolated VSD with a patch in 5 cases, associated with a Crafoord procedure for coarctation of the aorta in 2 cases, three times with conservative treatment of associated aortic regurgitation (AR) and with ligature of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in 1 case. Twenty-five of the 36 cases (69.5%) had not been operated before: 21 isolated type 1 VSD; 2 VSD + AR, 1 VSD with PDA (undiagnosed), 1 VSD with valvular pulmonary stenosis (PS). The portal of entry was post-surgical in 7 out of 36 cases (19.4%): 4 VSD patches, 2 VSD patches + Crafoord and 1 VSD patch with ligature of PDA. The source of infection was dental in 14 out of the 36 cases (38.9%): one isolated VSD repair with residual shunt, 11 native VSDs, and 2 cases of unoperated VSD + AR. The other infectious causes (15 = 41.7%) were ENT (2 cases), skin (2 cases), gastrointestinal (2 cases), pulmonary (1 case) or unknown (8 cases), on operated lesions (3 VSD patches + AR) or native lesions (12 cases: 10 isolated VSDs, 1 VSD with PSD and 1 VSD with PS). Twelve episodes occurred (33.3%) despite antibiotic prophylaxis, 7 out of 7 post-surgical and 5 out of 14 dental cases. The commonest localisation was the tricuspid valve (10 cases, always in isolated VSD). Embolism was observed in 60% of right heart endocarditis (always multiple) and in 55% of IE of the left heart (single embolism). Early surgery was required in 6 patients (16.7%). The risk of early surgery was higher in patients with VSDs associated with other lesions (4 out of 10 = 40%) than in isolated VSD (2 out of 26, 7.7%, p = 0.027). Thirteen patients underwent secondary surgery after an average interval of 2.96 years, median 0.86 years (from 4 months to 22.8 years) for VSD repair (10 cases), aortic valve replacement (2 cases) and aorto-aortic conduit (1 case). The global follow-up period was 7.4 +/- 8.3 years, from 28 days to 27.9 years (median 3.3 years). Five deaths were observed on average 3.7 +/- 6.2 years after the episode of IE (median 6 months): 2 were early, occurring less than 6 months after IE and directly related to the infective episode. The survival was 97.1% at 1 month, 94.3% at 6 months, 91.4% at 1 year and 86.6% at 5 and 10 years after IE. VSD is a benign cardiac lesion, the prognosis of which can be severely compromised by infectious endocarditis: surgical repair reduces the risk but does not totally exclude it because of minor associated abnormalities. Prophylactic antibiotic therapy and the diagnosis of latent infectious problems, particularly dental, remains essential before and after cardiac surgery.

[Variation in cholesterol, lipoproteins and triglycerides after heart transplantation in children]. / Variations du cholestérol, des lipoprotéines et des triglycérides après transplantation cardiaque chez l'enfant.

Total cholesterol, HDL and LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels may contribute to the development or progression of coronary artery disease of the transplanted heart. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the short and long-term lipid profiles of transplanted children and to identify factors influencing these dyslipidemias. Twenty-three patients aged 9.5 +/- 5.9 years at cardiac transplantation were followed up for 5.8 +/- 3.1 years. All were on triple therapy with normal diets. The total cholesterol increased by 17% during the first year (4.47 +/- 1.01 mMol/l to 5.25 +/- 1.22 mMol/l at 1 year: p < 0.05) with a peak at 3 months of 5.31 +/- 1.28 mMol/l correlating with the dosage of prescribed corticosteroids. LDL-cholesterol levels increased by 20% during the first year (2.26 +/- 0.67 mMol/l to 3.29 +/- 0.99 mMol/l at 1 year: p = 0.018). HDL-cholesterol levels increased from 1.02 +/- 0.27 mMol/l to a maximum of 1.55 +/- 0.4 mMol/l at 1 year, p < 0.05. Lipoprotein A1, a protecting sub-fraction of HDL, did not change significantly. Changes in triglyceride levels were not significant despite a tendency to hypertriglyceridaemia in the early phases. After one year, serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels remained higher than the initial values. These results show that cardiac transplant children are exposed to the risk of atherogenic hyperlipidaemia and require systematic lipid profile monitoring, dietary advice and lipid lowering drugs.

[Dobutamine echocardiography in children after heart transplantation]. / Echocardiographie sous perfusion de dobutamine chez l'enfant après transplantation cardiaque.

Coronary disease of the transplanted heart is the principal cause limiting long-term survival of patients and grafts. In view of the invasive nature of coronary angiography, dobutamine echocardiography has been proposed as a non-invasive diagnostic method for this disease. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and reliability of this investigation in transplanted children. Twenty-one echoes were performed with dobutamine infusions in 17 patients transplanted at 10 months to 16.9 years of age (average 8.4 years), and followed up 1.1 to 10.1 years (average 4.4 years): 4 were on antihypertensive drugs but none were treated by betablockers. Dobutamine echocardiography was performed according to the standard protocol used in adults. The maximal level was attained in all cases. No major side effects were observed. The maximal heart rate attained 57 to 89% of the theoretical maximal rate, an increase of 44 to 184% compared with the basal heart rate. The maximal systolic blood pressure rose to 120 to 194 mmHg, an increase of 8 to 109% compared with resting values. The contractility scores and segmental contractile index were normal in 18 cases, abnormal at the maximal level in 2 cases (hypokinesia of segments 8 and 9 and akinesia of segments 10 and 16 with an index of 1.2), abnormal at the lowest levels (hypokinesia of segment 7 with an index of 1.1) and maximal level (hypokinesia of segments 1 and 7 with an index of 1.2) in one case. These results were concordant with coronary angiography performed within 2 to 8 days of echocardiography, and considered as the diagnostic investigation of reference (sensitivity 75%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100% and negative predictive value 93%). The authors conclude that dobutamine echocardiography is a non-invasive method easily performed with low risk in transplanted children but its diagnostic performance in coronary disease of the transplanted heart should be confirmed in larger studies.