Who Falls Through the Gap? Revisiting the Pulmonary Hypertension Nomenclature in Atrial Septal Defect Closure

Abstract

Background: The incidence of atrial septal defect is 1.6 per 1,000 live births accounting for 8-10% of all congenital heart defects. For the majority of patients the clinical course is often benign. However, pulmonary arterial hypertension is known to complicate 9 to 35% of patients with a secundum type atrial septal defect. The purpose of the study is to apply the new definition of pulmonary hypertension to our cohort of atrial septal defect interventional closures. Objectives: We aim to see whether children with atrial septal defect who have a mean pulmonary artery pressure of <20 mmHg have differences in body habitus and outcomes compared with the children with mean pulmonary artery pressure of 21-25mmHg and children with mean pulmonary arterial pressure of >25 mmHg. Methods: The data collection took place from January to March 2022. A retrospective search was carried out at the archives of the hemodynamic laboratory of a large pediatric hospital in Athens, Greece, carrying out a large number of catheterizations for congenital heart disease. Results: In total, we retrieved 78 children, 30 boys and 48 girls with a diagnosis of atrial septal defect. In 17 cases the mean PAP was not documented so the remaining 61 children were stratified according to their mean PAP as mean PAP <20 mmHg, mean PAP >20mmHg but less than 25 mmHg and more than 25 mmHg. Conclusions: There was no difference in height, weight, BMI, BMI centile, sex age, hospital stay between the groups of no pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary pressures between 20-25 mmHg.