Pediatric cardiology
-
Pediatric cardiology · Feb 2013
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyRhythm and conduction analysis of patients with acute rheumatic fever.
Various rhythm and conduction abnormalities can develop in acute rheumatic fever. This study investigated rhythm and conduction abnormalities in children with acute rheumatic fever using a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram and 24-h rhythm Holter recordings. This multicenter retrospective study, performed between August 2011 and March 2012, enrolled 73 consecutive children with acute rheumatic fever. ⋯ Whereas some patients with carditis exhibited no arrhythmic evidence on standard electrocardiograms, complete atrioventricular block, supraventricular tachycardia, and Mobitz type 1 block were observed on 24-h Holter recordings. A positive correlation also was observed between the presence of premature contractions and serum levels of acute-phase reactants (p = 0.03; r = 0.62). These findings led to the conclusion that rhythm and conduction disorders in acute rheumatic fever are more common than previously thought.
-
Pediatric cardiology · Feb 2013
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyA multi-institutional analysis of inpatient treatment for supraventricular tachycardia in newborns and infants.
This study aimed to examine practice patterns in the inpatient medical treatment of newborns and infants with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database, a large, multi-institutional administrative database. A retrospective examination of pediatric hospital discharge data was performed during the study period from January 2003 to September 2008. Data were extracted from the index hospitalization of all individuals younger than 1 year with the principal discharge diagnosis of SVT. ⋯ The five most commonly used antiarrhythmic drugs, in order of decreasing frequency of use, were propranolol, digoxin, amiodarone, flecainide, and sotalol. The median hospital stay for the group was 4 days, and this value increased as a function of the number of antiarrhythmic drugs used (median, 7 days for three or more agents) and the need for intensive care (median, 6 days). The information provided in this study helps to define common practice patterns and should allow caregivers to provide meaningful expectations to families regarding their potential treatment course and to anticipate the hospital length of stay.