The Investigation of Patients with Congenital Heart Disease Monitored at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Gaziantep Children’s Hospital

Abstract

The Investigation of Patients with Congenital Heart Disease Monitored at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Gaziantep Children’s Hospital Objective: To evaluate retrospectively the relative frequencies, risk factors and diagnostic clues of congenital heart disease in newborns at our neonatal intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: Among 2005 cases who were admitted to the Gaziantep Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between January 2012-December 2012, 21 newborns with congenital heart disease were evaluated retrospectively. Results: The prevalence of congenital heart disease was 1.04 %. Heart murmur was the main reason for requesting cardiology consultation in newborns diagnosed as congenital heart disease. The relative percentages of acyanotic and cyanotic heart defects were 62, and 38 percent, respectively. The most frequently detected acyanotic and cyanotic defects were atrioventricular septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot with a prevalence of 23.3 % and 9.5 %, respectively. Besides, 71.5 % of the newborns with congenital heart disease were mature and 28.5 of them premature. Besides, 66.6 % of the newborns diagnosed as congenital heart disease were hospitalized because of respiratory distress. Mean mother age was found as 24.2 (17-41) years. Parents of 43 % of the patients had a history of consanguineous marriage. In the follow-up, surgical treatment were recomended for 8 patients. Three patients passed away before cardiac surgery because of cardiac failure. Conclusion: The prevalence of congenital heart disease in newborns at the neonatal intensive care unit is higher than that in all live births. Careful cardiac examination of neonates hospitalized in intensive care unit is important due to different cardiac hemodynamics even in the absence of significant cardiac findings.