Risk of Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns with Prenatal Exposure to Anti-depressant Medications.

Introduction It is uncertain whether the use of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and other anti-depressants during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease (CHD) in newborn. There have been various studies showing a number of adverse outcomes, including gestational hypertension, reduced birth weight, altered neonatal pain responses and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn with exposure to anti-depressant medications. There have been very few longitudinal studies showing CHD association with the use of anti-depressant medications. Our objective is to examine the risk for congenital heart disease of the newborn associated with prenatal exposure to antidepressant medication. Methods We reviewed charts of mothers who were referred for a fetal echocardiogram between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2014. We identified mothers who were exposed to antidepressant medications prenatally. Fetal echocardiograms for these patients were reviewed by two fetal cardiologists and each was blinded to the others' findings. Results A total of 40 patients were identified with prenatal exposure to SSRI. Seven (18%) out of these 40 were found to have a form of CHD. Two fetuses whose mothers were exposed to fluoxetine during pregnancy had large posteriorly malaligned ventricular septal defect, sub-aortic stenosis and critical coarctation identified on fetal echocardiogram. Exposure to citalopram during pregnancy was found to be associated with a moderate size secundum atrial septal defect on one patient and a moderate size mid muscular ventricular septal defect seen on fetal echocardiogram in another patient. Exposure to venlafaxine during pregnancy showed two small muscular ventricular septal defects on fetal echocardiogram on one patient and ductal constriction with increased ductal velocity on another patient. One of the women on escitalopram had a fetus with a large membranous ventricular septal defect (VSD), secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) and left superior vena cava. None of the women on a combination of drugs had CHD. Conclusion There is a risk of congenital heart disease in patients who are prenatally exposed to anti-depressant medications as evident by the specific echocardiographic abnormalities noted in the study.

Double aortic arch associated with bronchopulmonary sequestration: a rare dual anomaly.

We report two isolated and rare congenital malformations, namely double aortic arch and bronchopulmonary sequestration occurring as coexisting lesions in an infant. Clinical presentation leading up to a detailed anatomic diagnosis, using echocardiography and multidetector computerized tomographic angiographic imaging are described. To our knowledge, our patient is the second case reported with this dual pathology, making it an exceedingly rare occurrence.

Left atrial myxoma in a child: a challenging diagnosis of a rare lesion.

An eight-year-old child presented with congestive heart failure, blurred vision, and unexplained constitutional symptoms. An echocardiogram demonstrated a giant left atrial mass that obstructed the mitral valve inflow. After excision of the myxoma, the patient had an uneventful recovery.

Two-stage repair of truncus arteriosus associated with interrupted aortic arch in critically ill patients.

This report describes 2 newborns with truncus arteriosus associated with an interrupted aortic arch who underwent a 2-stage repair due to poor preoperative condition. A repair of the interrupted aortic arch and ventricular-to-pulmonary artery conduit with a 6-mm Gore-Tex tube was performed as a first stage. Closure of a ventricular septal defect and placement of a right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery homograft conduit were performed electively at 8 months of age.

Surgical improvement of hepatic venous mixing to resolve systemic arterial hypoxemia associated with post-Fontan pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae.

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae are known to develop in patients who have functional single-ventricle heart disease and interruption of the inferior vena cava with direct hepatic drainage to the heart, in which a bidirectional Glenn shunt is the only source of pulmonary blood flow. The progressive systemic arterial hypoxemia that is associated with pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae can have important clinical consequences. Baffling the hepatic venous return to the pulmonary circulation can alleviate pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae.Herein, we present the case of a 13-year-old patient with modified Fontan anatomy and pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae, in whom redirection of a previously placed hepatic venous-to-right pulmonary artery conduit was required in order to increase systemic arterial oxygen saturation. Revision of the conduit improved mixing of hepatic venous effluent with blood flow from the bidirectional Glenn shunt. Three years after this revision, the patient's oxygen saturation remained stable at 90%, and his physical activity was markedly improved. We present our rationale for selected redirection of the conduit and discuss other surgical options that can improve hypoxemia that is associated with pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae.

Noninvasive assessment of the right and left ventricular function in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia with persistent pulmonary hypertension before and after surgical repair.

OBJECTIVE: To measure right and left ventricular function in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) before and after surgical repair. METHODS: Ten newborns with CDH and PPHN before and after surgical repair and 24 normal newborns underwent Doppler echocardiographic measurements of the systolic time intervals (STI) and the index of myocardial performance (IMP) or Tei Index to assess pulmonary hypertension and ventricular function, respectively. RESULTS: In newborns with CDH and PPHN before surgical repair, STI pre-ejection time/ejection time ratio and pre-ejection time/acceleration time ratio (0.39 ± 0.19 and 1.22 ± 0.6) were significantly prolonged when compared to newborns with CDH and PPHN after surgical repair (0.21 ± 0.05 and 0.80 ± 0.2) and normal newborns (0.20 ± 0.04 and 0.59 ± 0.2), respectively (all p < 0.001). Left IMP and right IMP were also significantly prolonged in newborns with CDH and PPHN before surgery (0.38 ± 0.16 and 0.53 ± 0.25) when compared to newborns with CDH and PPHN after surgery (0.30 ± 0.07 and 0.28 ± 0.13) and normal newborns (0.26 ± 0.09 and 0.20 ± 0.10), respectively (p < 0.05, left IMP) and (p < 0.001, right IMP). CONCLUSIONS: Significant pulmonary hypertension and abnormal left and right ventricular function were found in newborns with CDH and PPHN before surgical repair when compared to the newborns with CDH and PPHN after surgical repair and normal newborns. The STI and the IMP or Tei index can accurately estimate the consequences of pulmonary hypertension and left and right ventricular function in neonates with CDH and PPHN, which may affect management in these critically ill neonates.