Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Congenital heart block (CHB) can result in intrauterine cardiac failure leading to fetal or neonatal loss. To establish perinatal hemodynamic factors which might predict adverse outcome, six fetuses with CHB diagnosed between 20 and 30 gestational weeks were examined by echocardiography at 2-week intervals. Neonatal morbidity and outcome in infancy are detailed. The fetuses showed a significant decrease in ventricular rate (VR) with advancing gestation (60 +/- 7 vs 51 +/- 4 beats/min, p = 0.03). Cardiac decompensation defined as hydrops or pericardial effusion was associated with VR of lower than 55 beats/min in two fetuses. Three mothers had a therapeutic trial with a sympathomimetic and digoxin. Salbutamol increased VR 10% in one of three fetuses treated. Digoxin decreased pericardial effusion in one hydropic fetus with autoimmune myocarditis. In this fetus, poor left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) was accompanied with high umbilical artery resistance index (RI). High amniotic fluid erythropoietin indicated severe hypoxia preceding death. Pacemaker was indicated in all the newborns. At the age of 2 weeks all the surviving infants had tricuspid regurgitation and a shunt through foramen ovale due to asynchronized atrioventricular contraction. During the 12-month follow-up two of five surviving infants had no symptoms. One had symptomatic neonatal lupus. Two infants had patent ductus arteriosus, one with dilated cardiomyopathy. In conclusion, poor fetal outcome was associated with low VR, low LVFS, and high RI. Despite early pacing, morbidity was high in infancy due to cardiomyopathy and associated heart defects. Regular echocardiographic monitoring during pregnancy and after delivery is required in order to optimize care and timing of any interventions.
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PMID:Congenital complete heart block in the fetus: hemodynamic features, antenatal treatment, and outcome in six cases. 1152 12

Congenital heart block (CHB) is rare disorder that has a higher mortality when associated with structural congenital heart defects. Very few cases have been reported in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We present a case of complete CHB associated with a complex congenital heart defect in a neonate in Cameroon. A 1-month-old neonate in Cameroon was referred for the evaluation of bradycardia. The obstetrical ultrasound done during pregnancy revealed fetal bradycardia without further evaluation. Clinical examination showed well a developed neonate with bradycardia at 62 beats/minute, and mild cyanosis with oxygen saturation at 93% at room air. There were no signs of heart failure. Twelve lead electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated a complete atrioventricular conduction block with a junctional escape rhythm at 59/minute, left axis deviation and bi-ventricular hypertrophy. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed a complex congenital heart disease with the following abnormalities: dextrocardia, complete atrioventricular canal with a single atrium and mild atrioventricular valve regurgitation and malposition of the great vessels with a posterior aorta and an anterior pulmonary artery. This case report highlights the challenges in the diagnosis and management of complex CHBs in low resource settings. A properly performed pregnancy follow-up with serial echocardiograms could aid in antenatal diagnosis and plan perinatal management when appropriate in order to optimize outcome. This emphasizes the clinical value of high quality antenatal care and proper screening.
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PMID:Complete congenital heart block in a neonate with a complex congenital heart defect in Africa. 2790 46