Factors Influencing Pediatric Outpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography Utilization Before Appropriate Use Criteria Release: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Although pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) for outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are available, little is known about TTE utilization patterns before their release. The aims of this study were to determine the relation between AUC and TTE utilization and to identify patient and physician factors associated with discordance between the AUC and clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective review of 3,000 initial outpatient pediatric cardiology encounters at six centers was performed. Investigator-determined indications were classified using AUC definitions. Concordance between AUC and TTE utilization was determined. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify patient and physician factors associated with TTE's being performed for rarely appropriate and TTE's not being performed for appropriate indications. RESULTS: Concordance between AUC and TTE utilization was 88%. TTE was performed for rarely appropriate indications in 9% and was associated with patient age < 3 months, indications of murmur, noninvasive imaging physician subspecialty, and physician volume. No TTE was ordered for appropriate indications in 3% and was associated with indications including prior test result (primarily abnormal electrocardiographic findings), older patients, and physician subspecialty other than generalist or imaging. There was high variability in TTE utilization among centers. CONCLUSIONS: There was a reasonable degree of concordance between AUC and clinical practice before AUC publication. Several patient and physician factors were associated with discordance with the AUC. These findings should be considered in efforts to disseminate the AUC and in the development of future iterations. The causes for variation among centers deserve further exploration.

Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion as a marker of right ventricular dysfunction in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular systolic dysfunction (RVSD) is a predictor of outcomes in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in adults, but little is known in children. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) has emerged as a reliable tool to assess RVSD. We sought to determine the prevalence and prognostic significance of RVSD using TAPSE in children with DCM. METHODS: The first echocardiogram at the time of diagnosis with DCM was analyzed to obtain left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and 2D TAPSE. RVSD was defined as TAPSE age-based z-score ≤-2. The association of a composite primary endpoint including death, mechanical support, or transplantation with RVSD was analyzed using LVEF and TAPSE. RESULTS: Of the 96 patients, RVSD was noted in 84 (88%). During a median follow-up of 17.5 months (IQR 1.4, 76.2), the primary endpoints were reached in 59%. There was a lower LVEF in patients with RVSD (P=.016). Moderate or severe RVSD showed a significant association with the composite primary endpoint (unadjusted OR 2.7 [95% CI: 1.15-6.33], P=.023). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the event-free survival was significantly lower in patients with LVEF ≤30% and TAPSE z-score ≤-4. CONCLUSION: Children with DCM have a high prevalence of RVSD based on reduced TAPSE, and those with moderate or severe RVSD have worse clinical outcomes.

Fetal Diagnostics and Fetal Intervention.

Advances in ultrasound technology and specialized training have allowed clinicians to diagnose congenital heart disease in utero and counsel families on perinatal outcomes and management strategies, including fetal cardiac interventions and fetal surgery. This article gives a detailed approach to fetal cardiac assessment and provides the reader with accompanying figures and video clips to illustrate unique views and sweeps invaluable to diagnosing congenital heart disease. We demonstrate that using a sequential segmental approach to evaluate cardiac anatomy enables one to decipher the most complex forms of congenital heart disease. Also provided is a review of fetal cardiac intervention and surgery from the fetal cardiologist's perspective.