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[Growth in 60 children with surgically repaired interventricular communication]
Insights
Surgical repair of ventricular septal defect significantly improves weight gain in children. Early infant surgery offers the best chance for near-normal final height, especially for severe cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Surgical Outcomes
Context:
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart defect.
- Subnormal growth is often observed in children with VSD pre-surgery.
- Growth patterns can be influenced by defect severity and patient age.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the impact of surgical repair on the growth status of children with VSD.
- To determine if early surgical intervention improves long-term growth outcomes.
- To identify factors influencing growth post-VSD repair.
Summary:
- Sixty children with repaired VSD (average 3.5-year follow-up) were studied, excluding low birth weight and chromosomal anomalies.
- Pre-surgery, height and weight were subnormal, correlating with defect severity.
- Surgical repair led to significant weight gain across all groups.
- Youngest patients achieved near-normal final height, while those repaired after age 2 showed limited height improvement.
- 10% of patients did not show improved growth patterns post-surgery.
Impact:
- Early surgical repair of large and severe VSD in infancy provides the optimal conditions for improved growth.
- Timely intervention is crucial for mitigating long-term growth deficits in pediatric cardiac patients.
- Understanding growth trajectories post-VSD repair informs clinical management and parental expectations.
Abstract:
Growth status was studied in 60 children with simple and severe ventricular septal defect successfully repaired. The average follow-up post-surgery was 3,5 years. Children with birth weight less of 2.500 g and extracardiac anomalies or chromosomal syndromes were excluded. Measurements before surgical treatment revealed height and weight status to be subnormal and related to physiological severity. However lowest weight score was found in youngest patients and height score was uniformly affected in both group ages. Surgical repair resulted in significant weight gain in all groups. Final height in the youngest age groups is near normal levels. However in the group of children repaired after 2 years age of the changes in height were not statistically significant. No change in the subnormal growth pattern was noted in 6 children (10%). Surgery of large and severe ventricular septal defect in very early infancy offers the best prospect for growth.