Risk Factors and Early Outcomes of Arrhythmia Following Congenital Cardiac Surgery in Pediatrics

Abstract

Arrhythmias after pediatric cardiac surgery are common and can be life threatening. They occur intraoperatively or may appear shortly after surgery during postoperative care. They require early management and specific intervention. Postoperative arrhythmias were a major cause of mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease. In the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery, patients with congenital heart disease are especially vulnerable to rhythm disturbances. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible causes and risk factors of early arrhythmia to determine the outcome of patients and prevention of arrhythmia after congenital cardiac surgery in pediatrics. This prospective cohort study was carried on 24 patients who underwent cardiac operation with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit (ICU) and pediatric cardiology unit of Zagazig university hospitals. the mean age of patients was 4.39 years , mean body weight was 18.31kg, mean height was 96.29 cm, Regarding sex 54% were female and 45% were male. operative data in our study, the mean total time of operation was 1.38 hour, mean CPB time was 48.64 min, mean ischemic time was 29 min. In our study incidence of early postoperative arrhythmias was 17.6% which is considered near to a previously reported studies. In echocardiographic finding arrhythmias significantly associated with increasing mean PASP (p=0.02) and decrease of EF% (p<0.001) which agreed with previous studies. We found Fragmented QRS complex is an important noninvasive tool that help in early detection of occurrence of postoperative arrhythmias.