Complications of cardiac catheterization in pediatric patients: a single center experience

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pediatric Interventions

Background:

• Cardiac catheterization is a vital diagnostic and interventional tool in pediatric cardiology.
• Assessing complication rates and risk factors is crucial for improving patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively analyze the incidence and types of complications associated with pediatric cardiac catheterization.
• To identify patient-specific and procedure-related risk factors for complications.
• To compare complication rates between diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 519 cardiac catheterization procedures over two years.
• Evaluation of patient demographics and procedural details to identify risk factors.
• Categorization of complications into major and minor events.

Main Results:

• Overall complication incidence was 6.2%.
• Arterial thrombosis requiring intervention and transient arrhythmias were the most frequent major and minor complications, respectively.
• Interventional procedures had a higher complication rate (9.7%) than diagnostic procedures (5.4%).
• Patients under 1 year of age demonstrated a significantly higher risk of any complication (p=0.02), major complications (p=0.003), and arterial thrombosis (p=0.02).

Conclusions:

• Younger age, especially under 1 year, is the strongest predictor of complications in pediatric cardiac catheterization.
• Interventional cardiac catheterization is associated with significantly higher complication rates compared to diagnostic procedures.
• Despite risks, complication rates in pediatric cardiac catheterization are declining, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance and risk factor analysis.