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Management pathway for congenital heart disease at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi

M N Awori1, S W O Ogendo, S W Gitome

  • 1Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

East African Medical Journal
|September 25, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are often diagnosed late, missing optimal surgical timing. Parental income, not sex or education, influenced diagnosis timing in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Congenital Heart Disease Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of infant mortality.
  • Timely treatment is crucial for improving outcomes in CHD patients.
  • Understanding diagnostic delays is key to optimizing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the age of first CHD suspicion and diagnosis confirmation.
  • To assess follow-up rates at post-diagnosis outpatient clinics.
  • To investigate the influence of patient sex, parental income, and education on diagnosis timing.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study conducted over five years (2000-2004).
  • Data collected from 214 patients at Kenyatta National Hospital.
  • Analysis of patient demographics and diagnostic timelines.

Main Results:

  • Mean age at referral to a pediatric cardiologist was 16.9 months.
  • Mean age for CHD confirmation via echocardiography was 18.6 months.
  • Higher parental income correlated with earlier suspicion of CHD (9.5 months vs. 19.1 months).

Conclusions:

  • Late diagnosis of CHD may impede optimal surgical intervention.
  • Parental income significantly impacts the timing of CHD suspicion.
  • Patient sex and parental education did not show a significant influence on diagnosis timing.
Abstract

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