Late recovery of atrioventricular conduction after postsurgical chronic atrioventricular block is not exceptional

Pacing in Pediatric Patients with Postoperative Atrioventricular Block

Surgery for congenital heart disease may compromise atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction, potentially resulting in postoperative AV block. In the majority of cases, AV nodal function recovers during the early postoperative period and may only require short-term pacing support, typically provided via temporary epicardial wires. Permanent pacing is indicated when the postoperative AV block persists for more than 7 to 10 days due to the risk of mortality if a pacemaker is not implanted. Although there is a subset of patients who may have late recovery of AV nodal function, those with continued postoperative AV block will need lifelong pacing therapy.

Postoperative Cardiac Arrhythmias in Pediatric and Neonatal Patients with Congenital Heart Disease-A Narrative Review

Cardiac arrhythmias are a frequent complication in the evolution of patients with congenital heart disease. Corrective surgery for these malformations is an additional predisposition to the appearance of arrhythmias. Several factors related to the patient, as well as to the therapeutic management, are involved in the etiopathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmias occurring post-operatively. The risk of arrhythmias in the immediate postoperative period is correlated with the patient's young age and low weight at surgery. The change in heart geometry, hemodynamic stress, and post-surgical scars represent the main etiopathogenic factors that can contribute to the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias in the population of patients with operated-on congenital heart malformations. Clinical manifestations differ depending on the duration of the arrhythmia, underlying structural defects, hemodynamic conditions, and comorbidities. The accurate diagnosis and the establishment of specific management options strongly influence the morbidity and mortality associated with arrhythmias. As such, identifying the risk factors for the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias in the case of each patient is essential to establish a specific follow-up and management plan to improve the life expectancy and quality of life of children.

Atrioventricular conduction recovery immediately after the re-operation in a repaired CHD patient

This is a case of a 2.7-year-old girl with trisomy 21 and double outlet right ventricle who underwent epicardial pacemaker system placement for a surgical atrioventricular block and achieved atrioventricular conduction recovery immediately after residual ventricular septal defect closure. Although ventricular pacing ratio was 100% before re-operation, it declined to approximately 25% on the 6th post-operative day and was <1% 3 years after re-operation.

Incidence and recovery of post-surgical heart block in children following cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

A subset of patients who develop post-surgical heart block have recovery of atrioventricular node function. Factors predicting recovery are not understood. We investigated our centre's incidence of post-surgical heart block and examine factors associated with recovery of atrioventricular node function.

METHODS

We conducted a single-centre retrospective study of patients 0 - 21 years who underwent cardiac surgery between January 2010 and December 2019 and experienced post-operative heart block. Data including patient and clinical characteristics and operative variables were collected and analysed.

RESULTS

Of 6333 surgical hospitalisations, 128 (2%) patients developed post-operative heart block. Of the 128 patients, 90 (70%) had return of atrioventricular node function, and 38 (30%) had pacemaker placement. Of the 38 patients who underwent pacemaker placement, 6 (15.8%) had recovery of atrioventricular node function noted on long-term follow-up. Median time from onset of heart block to late atrioventricular node recovery was 13 days (Interquartile range: 5 - 117). Patients with single-ventricle physiology (p = 0.04), greater weight (p = 0.03), and shorter cardiopulmonary bypass time (p = 0.015) were more likely to have recovery. The use of post-operative steroids was similar between all groups (p = 0.445). Infectious or wound complications were similar between pacemaker groups (p = 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Two per cent of patients who underwent congenital cardiac surgery developed post-operative heart block, and 0.6% underwent pacemaker placement. Early recovery of atrioventricular node was associated with greater weight at the time of surgery, single-ventricle physiology, and shorter cardiopulmonary bypass time. Late recovery of atrioventricular node conduction following pacemaker placement occurred in 15.8% of patients.

Incidence and predictors of complete atrioventricular conduction recovery among patients with heart block

Aim: In this study, our aim was to determine clinical factors related to the recovery of the conduction system in patients presenting with atrioventricular (AV) block. Materials & methods: A total of 178 patients who were hospitalized at a tertiary center due to second- or third-degree AV block were retrospectively analyzed. Results: During hospital follow-up, 19.1% of patients had fully recovered from AV block. According to a logistic regression analysis; younger age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.950; 95% CI: 0.932-0.967; p < 0.001), presenting with acute coronary syndrome (OR: 18.863; 95% CI: 3.776-94.222; p < 0.001), β-blocker usage (OR: 12.081; 95% CI: 3.498-41.726; p < 0.001), high serum creatinine levels (OR: 4.338; 95% CI: 2.110-8.918; p < 0.001) and no calcification at the aortic valve (OR: 0.189; 95% CI: 0.050-0.679; p = 0.011) were found to be related to resolution of AV block. Conclusion: It is crucial to know the reversible causes of AV block to prevent unnecessary permanent pacemaker implantation.

A Retrospective Survey Comparing Suture Techniques Regarding the Risk of Permanent Epicardial Pacemaker Implantation After Ventricular Septal Defect Closure

Objective

The aim of this study is to compare the continuous and combined suturing techniques in regards to the needing epicardial pacing at the time of weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (EP-CPB) and to evaluate permanent epicardial pacemaker (PEP) implantation in patients who had undergone surgical ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure.

Methods

This single-centre retrospective survey includes 365 patients who had consecutively undergone VSD closure between January 2006 and October 2015.

Results

The median age and weight of the patients were 15 months (range 27 days - 56.9 years) and 10 kg (range 3.5 - 100 kg), respectively. Continuous and combined suturing techniques were utilised in 302 (82.7%) and 63 (17.3%) patients, respectively. While 25 (6.8%) patients required EP-CPB, PEP was implanted in eight (2.2%) patients. Comparison of the continuous and combined suturing techniques regarding the need for EP-CPB (72% vs. 28%, P=0.231) and PEP implantation (87.5% vs. 12.5%, P=1.0) were not statistically significant. The rate of PEP implantation in patients with perimembraneous VSD without extension and perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension did not reveal significant difference between the suture techniques (P=1.0 and P=0.16, respectively). In both univariate and multivariate analyses, large VSD (P=0.001; OR 8.63; P=0.011) and perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension (P<0.001; OR 9.02; P=0.005) had a significant influence on PEP implantation.

Conclusion

Both suturing techniques were comparable regarding the need for EP-CPB or PEP implantation. Caution should be exercised when closing a large perimembraneous VSD with inlet extension.

Atrioventricular block after congenital heart surgery: Analysis from the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium

OBJECTIVES

Our primary aims were to describe the contemporary epidemiology of postoperative high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB), the timing of recovery and permanent pacemaker (PPM) placement, and to determine predictors for development of and recovery from AVB.

METHODS

Patients who underwent congenital heart surgery from August 2014 to June 2017 were analyzed for AVB using the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium registry. Predictors of AVB with or without PPM were identified using multinomial logistic regression. We used these predictors to model the probability of PPM for the subgroup of patients with intraoperative complete AVB.

RESULTS

We analyzed 15,901 surgical hospitalizations; 422 (2.7%) were complicated by AVB and 162 (1.0%) patients underwent PPM placement. In patients with transient AVB, 50% resolved by 2 days, and 94% resolved by 10 days. In patients who received a PPM, 50% were placed by 8 days and 62% were placed by 10 days. Independent risk factors associated with PPM compared with resolution of AVB were longer duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (relative risk ratio, 1.04; P = .023) and a high-risk operation (relative risk ratio, 2.59; P < .001). Among patients with complete AVB originating in the operating room, those with the highest predicted probability of PPM had a PPM placed only 77% of the time.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort, postoperative AVB complicated almost 3% of congenital heart surgery cases and 1% of patients underwent PPM placement. Because almost all patients (94%) with transient AVB had resolution by 10 days, our results suggest there is limited benefit to delaying PPM placement beyond that time frame.

Late recovery of sinus rhythm following perioperative complete atrioventricular block in a child with congenitally corrected transposition

We report a patient with l-transposition of the great arteries who developed perioperative complete atrioventricular block at 5 years of age in conjunction with a modified double-switch operation, but had unexpected late recovery of normal sinus rhythm months later. This case highlights that even for patients with l-transposition, which is particularly vulnerable to developing both spontaneous and perioperative complete atrioventricular block, late recovery of atrioventricular node conduction may still be possible after surgery.