The current practice and care of paediatric patients post cardiac catheterisation

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Interventional Cardiology
• Healthcare Practice Assessment

Background:

• Limited standardized guidelines exist for pediatric post-cardiac catheterization care.
• Current practices in pediatric cardiac catheterization care and assessment vary significantly.
• A need exists to describe current practices to inform standardization efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe current post-cardiac catheterization care and assessment practices in US pediatric cardiology programs.
• To identify variations in care and assessment following pediatric cardiac catheterization.
• To inform the development of standardized care protocols.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was distributed to 113 identified institutions in the Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium.
• A 36-question survey, including fixed-choice and open-ended questions, was developed and piloted for reliability and validity.
• Data were summarized descriptively using counts, frequencies, medians, and ranges.

Main Results:

• 52% of surveyed institutions responded, with 94.9% using manual pressure for hemostasis.
• Pressure dressings are common; bed rest duration varies (e.g., 6 hours arterial, 4 hours venous).
• Discrepancies exist in determining the start time for bed rest (hemostasis vs. sheath removal).

Conclusions:

• Significant variation in post-pediatric cardiac catheterization care and assessment practices was observed.
• These findings highlight opportunities for collaboration to develop standardized care protocols.
• Standardization of care is crucial for improving outcomes in pediatric cardiac catheterization patients.