RESUMO
Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading cause of death and morbidity in children under one year around the world. This study explores the prevalence, patterns, and interventions of congenital heart defects in children in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. We looked back at all of the CHD patients who went to the two tertiary hospitals in the Jazan region between January 2017 and December 2021 and collected and analyzed their background information and diagnosis. Results: During the study period, 1,275 CHD patients aged under 15 years old were identified. A total of 717 (56.24%) were males, while 558 (43.76%) were females. Acyanotic CHDs were the most common, accounting for 79.21% of all cases, while cyanotic CHDs accounted for only 20.79%. Ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were the most common acyanotic CHDs, accounting for 35.69%, 24.31%, and 8% of total cases, respectively. The most common cyanotic CHDs were Tetralogy of Fallot (7.14%) and Total Anomalies of Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC) (1.57%). The most common Cath intervention was patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Conclusions: This study's results are similar to those described in previous studies from around the world, except for the unreported Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) cases. This kind of information is very important for setting priorities in the Saudi Arabian health sector in light of the National Transformation Program.
RESUMO
Cardiac complications are the leading cause of death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Two-dimensional echocardiography is the current standard for monitoring of LV systolic function in these patients, but it might not detect early systolic dysfunction. The current study examined the use of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to detect early signs of cardiac dysfunction in DMD patients. A retrospective review of charts and offline strain analysis of transthoracic echocardiographic studies of DMD patients at our institution from April 2014 to January 2015 were performed and compared to age-matched healthy male subjects. Nineteen DMD patients (age range 12.6 ± 3.1 years) with normal ejection fraction and shortening fraction were compared with sixteen controls. The global circumferential strain was lower in DMD patients compared with controls (-14.7 ± 4.7 vs. -23.1 ± 2.9 %, respectively, p value: 0.001). Circumferential strain measured at basal, mid-ventricular and apical parasternal short-axis views was lower in DMD patients compared with controls. Segmental circumferential strain was lower in DMD patients in most segments compared with controls. The global longitudinal strain was lower in DMD patients compared with controls (-13.6 ± 5 vs. -18.8 ± 3 %, respectively, p value: 0.001). Segmental longitudinal strain measured in various segments was lower in DMD patients compared with controls. DMD patients can have occult cardiovascular dysfunction as shown by reduction in circumferential and longitudinal strain measurements with STE despite normal standard echocardiographic parameters. The clinical significance of early detection of cardiac dysfunction in these patients warrants further studies.
