Frailty and Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

BACKGROUND

Life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has increased rapidly, resulting in a growing and aging population. Recent studies have shown that older people with CHD have higher morbidity, health care use, and mortality. To maintain longevity and quality of life, understanding their evolving medical and psychosocial challenges is essential.

OBJECTIVES

The authors describe the frailty and cognitive profile of middle-aged and older adults with CHD to identify predictor variables and to explore the relationship with hospital admissions and outpatient visits.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional, multicentric design, we included 814 patients aged ≥40 years from 11 countries. Frailty phenotype was determined using the Fried method. Cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

RESULTS

In this sample, 52.3% of patients were assessed as robust, 41.9% as prefrail, and 5.8% as frail; 38.8% had cognitive dysfunction. Multinomial regression showed that frailty was associated with older age, female sex, higher physiologic class, and comorbidities. Counterintuitively, patients with mild heart defects were more likely than those with complex lesions to be prefrail. Patients from middle-income countries displayed more prefrailty than those from higher-income countries. Logistic regression demonstrated that cognitive dysfunction was related to older age, comorbidities, and lower country-level income.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one-half of included patients were (pre-)frail, and more than one-third experienced cognitive impairment. Frailty and cognitive dysfunction were identified in patients with mild CHD, indicating that these concerns extend beyond severe CHD. Assessing frailty and cognition routinely could offer valuable insights into this aging population.

Effects of time of bed rest on vascular complications after cardiac catheterization in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Pediatric cardiac catheterization, which is performed by accessing the femoral vessel, requires immobilization and bed rest for 4-6 h to prevent vascular complications. Studies in adults suggest that the immobilization time for the same access can be safely reduced to approximately 2 h after catheterization. However, it is unclear whether bed-rest time can be safely decreased after catheterization in children.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effects of bed-rest duration on bleeding, vascular complications, pain level, and the use of additional sedatives after transfemoral cardiac catheterization in children with congenital heart disease.

METHODS

This study was an open-label, randomized, controlled, posttest-only design, including 86 children who underwent cardiac catheterization. Children were allocated to receive either 2 h of bed rest (n = 42) in the experimental group or 4 h of bed rest (n = 42) in the control group following catheterization.

RESULTS

The mean age of children was 3.93 (±3.82) years in the experimental group and 5.63 (±3.97) years in the control group. There was no difference in site bleeding incidence (P = 0.214), vascular complication score (P = 0.082), pain level (P = 0.445), or additional sedation use (P = 1.000) between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant hemostatic complications after 2 h of bed rest following pediatric catheterization; therefore, 2 h of bed rest was as safe as 4 h of bed rest. (Trial registration: KCT0007737).

Gothenburg Empowerment Scale (GES): psychometric properties and measurement invariance in adults with congenital heart disease from Belgium, Norway and South Korea

Background

Patient empowerment is associated with improvements in different patient-reported and clinical outcomes. However, despite being widely researched, high quality and theoretically substantiated disease-generic measures of patient empowerment are lacking. The few good instruments that are available have not reported important psychometric properties, including measurement invariance. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the 15-item Gothenburg Empowerment Scale (GES), with a particular focus on measurement invariance of the GES across individuals from three countries.

Methods

Adults with congenital heart disease from Belgium, Norway and South Korea completed the GES and other patient-reported outcomes as part of an international, cross-sectional, descriptive study called APPROACH-IS II. The scale’s content (missing data) and factorial validity (confirmatory factor analyses), measurement invariance (multi-group confirmatory factor analyses), responsiveness (floor and ceiling effects) and reliability (internal consistency) were assessed.

Results

Content validity, responsiveness and reliability were confirmed. Nonetheless, metric but not scalar measurement invariance was supported when including the three countries, possibly because the scale performed differently in the sample from South Korea. A second set of analyses supported partial scalar invariance for a sample that was limited to Norway and Belgium.

Conclusion

Our study offers preliminary evidence that GES is a valid and reliable measure of patient empowerment in adults with congenital heart disease. However, cross-country comparisons must be made with caution, given the scale did not perform equivalently across the three countries.

Rationale, design and methodology of APPROACH-IS II: International study of patient-reported outcomes and frailty phenotyping in adults with congenital heart disease

BACKGROUND

In recent years, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have received increasing prominence in cardiovascular research and clinical care. An understanding of the variability and global experience of PROs in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), however, is still lacking. Moreover, information on epidemiological characteristics and the frailty phenotype of older adults with CHD is minimal. The APPROACH-IS II study was established to address these knowledge gaps. This paper presents the design and methodology of APPROACH-IS II.

METHODS/DESIGN

APPROACH-IS II is a cross-sectional global multicentric study that includes Part 1 (assessing PROs) and Part 2 (investigating the frailty phenotype of older adults). With 53 participating centers, located in 32 countries across six continents, the aim is to enroll 8000 patients with CHD. In Part 1, self-report surveys are used to collect data on PROs (e.g., quality of life, perceived health, depressive symptoms, autonomy support), and explanatory variables (e.g., social support, stigma, illness identity, empowerment). In Part 2, the cognitive functioning and frailty phenotype of older adults are measured using validated assessments.

DISCUSSION

APPROACH-IS II will generate a rich dataset representing the international experience of individuals in adult CHD care. The results of this project will provide a global view of PROs and the frailty phenotype of adults with CHD and will thereby address important knowledge gaps. Undoubtedly, the project will contribute to the overarching aim of improving optimal living and care provision for adults with CHD.

The COVID-19 pandemic as experienced by adults with congenital heart disease from Belgium, Norway, and South Korea: impact on life domains, patient-reported outcomes, and experiences with care

AIMS

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses significant challenges to many groups within societies, and especially for people with chronic health conditions. It is, however, unknown whether and how the pandemic has thus far affected the physical and mental health of patient populations. Therefore, we investigated how the pandemic affected the lives of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), compared pre- and peri-pandemic patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and a patient-reported experience measure (PREM), and investigated whether having had COVID-19 impacted pre-/peri-pandemic differences of the PROMs and PREM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

As part of the ongoing APPROACH-IS II project, we longitudinally surveyed 716 adults with CHD from Belgium, Norway, and South Korea. Pre-pandemic measures were administered from August 2019 to February 2020 and the peri-pandemic surveys were completed September 2020-April 2021. The majority of patients indicated that their social lives (80%), mental health (58%), and professional lives/education (51%) were negatively impacted by the pandemic. Patients felt worried (65%), were afraid (55%), reported the pandemic felt 'close' to them (53%), and were stressed (52%). However, differences between pre- and peri-pandemic scores on the PROMs and PREM were negligibly small (Cohen's d < 0.20). Across measures, 5.8-15.8% of patients demonstrated changes (improved or worsened scores) that exceeded the minimal clinically important difference. There were no difference-in-differences for PROMs and PREM between patients who did vs. did not have COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive in many ways, pre- to peri-pandemic changes in PROMs and PREM of adults with CHD were negligibly small.

Prevalence and mortality of congenital heart disease in Korean adults

The aim of this study was to assess the age-standardized prevalence (prevalence) and age-standardized mortality (mortality) of congenital heart disease (CHD) by sex in Korean adults. Data were collected from the National Health Insurance Service in Korea from 2006 through 2016. The data consisted of main and secondary diagnoses related to CHD. We calculated the prevalence and mortality of CHD in adults with the direct method using the estimated Korean population in 2015 as the reference. The prevalence of CHD in Korean adults increased from 35.8 cases per 100,000 persons in 2006 to 65.6 cases in 2015. In 2015, the prevalence in the 20- to 44-year-old group, 45- to 64-year-old group, and the older than 65 years group was 54.6, 69.6, and 95.1 cases, respectively. Among women, the prevalence was 34.3 and 31.3 cases in men. The mortality of CHD in adults decreased from 3.061 persons per 100,000 persons in 2007 to 0.551 persons in 2015. The 5-year survival rate (SR) for people with CHD was 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91-0.93). The 5-year SR for the 20- to 44- and 45- to 64-year-old groups was more than 0.95; however, the 5-year SR of the older than 65 years group was only 0.73 (95% CI 0.72-0.74). The prevalence of CHD in Korean adults increased and the related mortality decreased during a decade. The 5-year SR of CHD for those over 65 years was lower than that for younger age groups.

The Relationship between Parental Rearing Behavior, Resilience, and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease

Objectives

Parental rearing behavior is one factor that influences the strength of resilience. In turn, resilience influences depression. However, it is unclear whether resilience has a mediating effect on the relationship between parental rearing and depression in adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD). Therefore, the associations between parental rearing behavior and resilience and between rearing behavior and symptoms of depression were investigated with respect to age, gender and disease severity.

Subjects and methods

Patients completed a parental rearing behavior questionnaire, a resilience scale and the Children’s Depression Inventory during a routine clinic visit. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation was used to analyze the data.

Results

The median age of the 180 patients included in the study was 17.8 years, and 64% were male. Lower resilience was found to be associated with overprotection, punishment, rejection, and control. There was a strong relationship between resilience and symptoms of depression. Resilience varied according to gender, age group, and disease severity.

Conclusion

Parental rearing behaviors such as emotional warmth, rejection, punishment, control, and overprotection have a significant influence on adolescent’s resilience. When developing intervention programs to increase resilience and reduce depression in adolescents with CHD, parenting attitudes, gender, age, and CHD severity should be considered.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale is an adequate screening instrument for depression and anxiety disorder in adults with congential heart disease

Background

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is an instrument that is commonly used to screen for depression in patients with chronic disease, but the characteristics of the CES-D in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) have not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the criterion validities and the predictive powers of the CES-D for depression and anxiety disorders in adults with CHD.

Methods

Two hundred patients were screened with the CES-D and secondarily interviewed with a diagnostic instrument, i.e., the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Instrument. The sensitivity and specificity values of the CES-D were calculated by cross-tabulation at different cutoff scores. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the optimal cutoff point for each disorder and to assess the predictive power of the instrument.

Results

The CES-D exhibited satisfactory criterion validities for depression and for all combinations of depression and/or anxiety. With a desired sensitivity of at least 80%, the optimal cutoff scores were 18. The predictive power of the CES-D in the patients was best for major depression and dysthymia (area under the ROC curve: 0.92) followed by the score for any combination of depression and/or anxiety (0.88).

Conclusion

The use of CES-D to simultaneously screen for both depression and anxiety disorders may be useful in adults with CHD. Trial registration: CESDEP 212. Registered 2 March 2014 (retrospectively registered).

Natural Course of Adult Ebstein Anomaly When Treated according to Current Recommendation

The objectives of this study were to assess the clinical outcomes of adults with Ebstein Anomaly (EA) according to their treatment modalities. All adult EA patients diagnosed between October 1994 and October 2014 were retrospectively evaluated by medical record review. Total 60 patients were categorized into 3 groups according to their treatment strategy, i.e. non-operative treatment (Group I, n = 23), immediate operative treatment (Group II, n = 27), and delayed operative treatment (Group III, n = 10). A composite of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and factors associated with MACCE were assessed in each treatment group. MACCE occurred in 13.0% patients in Group I, 55.6% patients in Group II and 50% in Group III (P = 0.006). Event free survivals at 5 years were 90% in Group I, 52.7% in Group II, 50.0% in Group III (P = 0.036). Post-operatively, most patients showed improvement on clinical symptoms. However, event free survival rate was lower in patients with operation compared to those with non-operative treatment (58.7% vs. 90.9%; P = 0.007). Major arrhythmic event occurred more frequently even after surgical ablation (50.0% vs. 20.0%; P = 0.034). Re-operation was more frequent in patients underwent delayed surgery compared to those with immediate surgery (50.0% vs. 18.5%; P = 0.001). Current guideline to decide patient's treatment strategy appeared to be appropriate in adult patients with EA. However, surgical ablation for arrhythmia was not enough so that concomitant medical treatment should be considered. Therefore, attentive risk stratification and cautious decision of treatment strategy by experienced cardiac surgeon are believed to improve clinical outcome.

Structural equation modeling of the quality of life for patients with marfan syndrome

BACKGROUND

We used structural equation modeling to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) for patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS). The goal was to provide guidelines to facilitate the development of interventions and strategies to improve the QOL for patients with MFS.

METHODS

The participants fulfilled the Ghent 2 criteria for MFS and they comprised patients who visited the cardiology outpatient department of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, between August 17, 2013 and April 17, 2014. Demographic, social support, disease-related factors, biobehavioral factors, and QOL data were collected in one-on-one interviews.

RESULTS

The final analyses included 218 patients. Anxious and depressed patients comprised 63.8 and 71.5 % of the sample, respectively. For the hypothetical model, the goodness-of-fit index = 0.91, normal fit index = 0.93, and comparative fit index = 0.90. The outcome was suitable for the recommended level, so the hypothetical model appeared to fit the data. In patients with MFS, the QOL was affected significantly by social support, disease-related factors, and biobehavioral factors. These variables explained 72.4 % of the QOL in patients with MFS. Biobehavioral factors had the strongest and most direct effects on QOL.

CONCLUSION

To improve QOL in patients with MFS, comprehensive interventions are necessary to assess and manage biobehavioral factors, social support, and disease-related factors.

Analysis of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease

Background and Objectives

The objective of this study was to analyze cardiovascular risk factors in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD).

Subjects and Methods

The subjects for this study comprised 135 patients, aged 18 years and above, who visited the ACHD clinic at the Samsung Medical Center and 135 adults with a structurally normal heart who were randomly selected from the Center for Health Promotion during the same period. For the analysis, the ACHD group was further divided into an ACHD group that underwent correction by cardiac surgery and a cyanotic group.

Results

The mean (standard diviation) age (years) of patients in the surgically corrected group was 48.4 (10.9) years, while that of patients in the cyanotic group was 43.1 (9.0) years and that of patients in the control group was 47.1 (10.3) years (p=0.042). The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for past smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome were significantly higher in the surgically corrected patients than in the controls. However, the ORs for all variables excluding past smoking were significantly lower in the cyanotic group compared with the control group. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, and exercise, the ORs for metabolic syndrome were 0.46 (0.35-0.57, p<0.001) and 1.48 (1.14-1.92, p=0.003) in the cyanotic and surgically corrected groups, respectively.

Conclusion

Cardiovascular risk factors need to be considered in surgically corrected ACHD patients as well as in adults with a structurally normal heart. A further study with a long-term follow-up is needed for developing guidelines for prevention.

Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to verify the reliability and validity of the Korean language version of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) before using this version in clinical practice to assess the quality of care in patients with heart failure in a cardiology clinic.

METHODS

The Korean versions of the MLHFQ, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were administered to evaluate the psychometric properties among 154 patients with heart failure in a major cardiac center in Korea. Cardiac function was assessed by evaluating left ventricular ejection fraction values, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels, and New York Heart Association classifications.

RESULTS

The questionnaire content and construct validity were supported by factor analysis. Three factors explained 70.7% of the variance. Total and subtotal scales had correlations with the mental and physical component scores of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, supporting the convergent validity of the Korean version of the MLHFQ. We also found that the New York Heart Association classification was associated with the MLHFQ score. The internal consistency of both total and subtotal scales was greater than .80.

CONCLUSION

The Korean version of the MLHFQ demonstrated excellent psychometric properties. These results support the use of the MLHFQ in Korean patients with heart failure. Further studies are recommended to assess the responsiveness to change of the Korean version of the MLHFQ.

Accuracy of CoaguChek XS for point-of-care antithrombotic monitoring in children with heart disease

The CoaguChek XS international normalized ratio (INR) assay was compared to INR assay by a standard laboratory method in children with heart disease on anticoagulant therapy. The data comprised 120 pairs of INR values for 42 patients (age <16 yr) who attended a cardiology clinic between 1 May 2007 and 30 January 2008. Parallel INR assays by the CoaguChek XS and the standard method were performed within 1 hr by a single qualified technician and the paired results were evaluated by linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis. The mean difference in the INR values was -0.08 +/- 0.04 units (p = 0.63); the difference between the two results was consistently <0.5 INR units. The slope of the regression line was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96 to 1.01) and the y-intercept was 0.014 (95% CI: -0.01 to 0.04). In the Bland-Altman analysis, the mean difference in INR between the two methods was 0.08 units and values for 99.4% of the patients fell within the limit of agreement (-0.17 to 0.28 units). In summary, INR assays in children by the CoaguChek XS device are as accurate as the standard method, but faster and more convenient.

Outcomes of pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease: a single center experience in Korea

Pregnancy outcomes in patients with congenital heart disease have not been fully assessed in Korea. Forty-nine pregnancies that occurred in 34 women with congenital heart disease who registered at our hospital between September 1995 and April 2006 were reviewed. Spontaneous abortions occurred in two pregnancies at 6+1 and 7 weeks, and another two underwent elective pregnancy termination. One maternal death in puerperium occurred in a woman with Eisenmenger syndrome. Maternal cardiac complications were noted in 18.4%, pulmonary edema in 16.3%, symptomatic arrhythmia in 6.1%, deterioration of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class by >or=2 in 2.0%, and cardiac death in 2.0%. Independent predictors of adverse maternal cardiac events were an NYHA functional class of >or=3 (odds ratio [OR], 20.3), right ventricular dilation (OR, 21.2), and pulmonary hypertension (OR, 21.8). Neonatal complications occurred in 22.4% of pregnancies and included preterm delivery (16.3%), small for gestational age (12.2%), and neonatal death (2.0%). Independent predictors of adverse neonatal events were pulmonary hypertension (OR, 6.8) and NYHA functional class>or=3 (OR, 23.0). Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease was found to be significantly associated with maternal cardiac and neonatal complications. Pre-pregnancy counseling and multidisciplinary care involving cardiologists and obstetricians are recommended for women with congenital heart disease contemplating pregnancy.

Public health significance of zoonotic tapeworms in Korea

Through an epidemiological review on the zoonotic tapeworms in Korea, the frequency and severity of the zoonoses have been recognized. Taeniasis and human cysticercosis are of importance to the public health in Korea. The frequency of taeniasis is 0.3% to 12.7% discovered by stool examination and 4.5% to 38.0% discovered by questionaire survey. Taeniasis occurs more frequently in males than in females and, especially, in both sexes in the age-group of 20 to 49. T. saginata is more common that T. solium. No case of human cysticercosis caused by T.saginata has been reported in Korea. To the contrary, human cysticercosis caused by T. solium has been reported frequently during the 1960's. The severity of human cysticercosis is a significant problem of public health in Korea. Old data on bovine cysticercosis in the 1920's and 1930's are not useful for present control measures. Systematic surveys on bovine and swine cysticercosis as well as taeniasis and human cysticercosis are needed in Korea. Cases of sparganosis have been reported frequently during the past 15 years. Most of the 34 cases of sparganosis reported involved the eating of raw snakes and frogs. Most of the cases occurred in older males. Sparganosis in snakes, frogs, chickens, and swine has been reported in Korea. Human infection of Hymenolepis nana ranged from 0.2% to 1.4% discovered by stool examination. A few cases of adult worm collections of Diphyllobothrium latum and Hymenolepis diminuta have been reported in Korea. Two cases of human hydatid disease have been reported in Korea. No study on the disease in domestic animals is available. No case of human infection with dog tapeworm has been reported, even though it is highly prevalent in the indigenous dogs in Korea. I recommend that further study on the zoonotic tapeworms be conducted epidemiologically in Korea to get basic data for the public health programming.