Pediatric congenital heart diseases: Patterns of presentation to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital:

Surraiya Bano; Saleem Akhtar; Uzma Rahim Khan

doi:10.12669/pjms.36.3.1592

Surraiya Bano, Dr Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi
Saleem Akhtar Aga Jhan University Hospital Karachi
Uzma Rahim Khan Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1592

Keywords: Congenital Cardiac defects, Emergency department, Pediatrics

Abstract

Objective: To observe presentation of Pediatric congenital cardiac defects to the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of patients under the age of 16 years with congenital cardiac defects presenting to the Emergency Department of Aga Khan University Hospital over a period of eighteen months, from January 2012 to June 2013. Study population was divided into two groups; first group constituted children with undiagnosed congenital cardiac defects, whereas second group constituted children with diagnosed congenial cardiac defects presented to ED. In previously diagnose cases each visit was counted as a separate encounter.

Results: Out of 133 children, 44 (33.5%) were diagnosed congenital cardiac disease for the first time (Group-1) in ED, while 89 (66.5%) children were diagnosed cases of congenital heart disease (Group-2). Among Group-1; main reasons for ED visits were cyanosis, cardiac failure, murmur evaluation and cardiogenic shock where as in Group-2; main presentations were cardiac failure, hyper cyanotic spells, gastroenteritis, lower respiratory tract infection, and post-operative issues. There were total 13 deaths.

Conclusion: High index of suspicion is necessary for early diagnosis and management of children with congenital heart disease in the pediatric emergency department.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1592

How to cite this:
Bano S, Akhtar S, Khan U. Pediatric congenital heart diseases: Patterns of presentation to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(3):333-337. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1592

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.