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Growth and Obesity Among Older Single Ventricle Patients Presenting for Fontan Conversion

Lindsay R Freud1, Gregory Webster2, John M Costello2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA lindsay.freud@cardio.chboston.org.

World Journal for Pediatric & Congenital Heart Surgery
|October 16, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Older single ventricle patients undergoing Fontan conversion often have shorter stature and a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, weight status did not impact early survival after the procedure.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Background:

  • Long-term growth and obesity in single ventricle (SV) patients are not well understood.
  • Older SV patients undergoing Fontan conversion require evaluation for growth and obesity.
  • The impact of obesity on survival in this population needs further study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate growth outcomes and obesity prevalence in older SV patients.
  • To assess the relationship between obesity and transplant-free survival after Fontan conversion.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed preoperative height, weight, and BMI in 139 patients undergoing Fontan conversion.
  • Defined overweight and obesity based on age-specific BMI percentiles and thresholds.
  • Assessed transplant-free survival in relation to weight status.

Main Results:

  • Patients exhibited shorter stature (mean Z score -0.6) compared to the general population.
  • Older patients (≥20 years) showed elevated BMI (mean Z score +0.4), approaching overweight.
  • Obesity prevalence increased with age, with 36% overweight and 14% obese in those >30 years.

Conclusions:

  • Older SV patients undergoing Fontan conversion present with shorter stature and high rates of overweight/obesity.
  • Weight status was not associated with early transplant-free survival.
  • Long-term outcomes related to weight status warrant further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
CHDFontanadult congenital heart diseaseobesityuniventricular heart

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