Ventricular septal defects – large, surgically closed or small, untreated – have demonstrated lower peak exercise capacity compared with healthy controls. The mechanisms behind these findings are not yet fully understood. Therefore, we evaluated biventricular morphology in adults with a ventricular septal defect using MRI. Adults with either childhood surgically closed or small, untreated ventricular septal defects and healthy controls underwent cine MRI for the evaluation of biventricular volumes and quantitative flow scans for measurement of stroke index. Scans were analysed post hoc in a blinded manner. In total, 20 operated patients (22±2 years) and 20 healthy controls (23±2 years) were included, along with 32 patients with small, unrepaired ventricular septal defects (26±6 years) and 28 controls (27±5 years). Operated patients demonstrated larger right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (103±20 ml/m2) compared with their controls (88±16 ml/m2), p=0.01. Heart rate and right ventricular stroke index did not differ between operated patients and controls. Patients with unrepaired ventricular septal defects revealed larger right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (105±17 ml/m2) compared with their controls (88±13 ml/m2), p<0.01. Furthermore, right ventricular stroke index was higher in unrepaired ventricular septal defects (53±12 ml/minute/m2) compared with controls (46±8 ml/minute/m2), p=0.02, with similar heart rates. Both patient groups’ right ventricles were visually characterised by abundant coarse trabeculation. Positive correlations were demonstrated between right ventricular end-diastolic volume indices and peak exercise capacity in patients. Left ventricle measurements displayed no differences between groups. In conclusion, altered right ventricular morphology was demonstrated in adults 20 years after surgical ventricular septal defect repair and in adults with small, untreated ventricular septal defects.

Inflammatory bowel disease is closely associated with an increased risk for thrombotic events. Thrombosis mostly occurs in the extremities, lungs, and liver; but it can also occur in the ventricles of the heart. The primary goal of this article is to increase awareness of the risk for ventricular thrombosis in this patient population among healthcare professionals and, thus, appropriate prompt use of thromboprophylaxis therapy for these patients during acute flare-ups. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical for ventricular thrombosis to prevent systemic embolisation of the thrombus. Concisely, inflammatory bowel disease predisposes to the development of thrombi. A low threshold for the use of imaging studies to detect such thrombi is warranted.

A modern catheter laboratory for the treatment of children with CHD should be in close proximity to the paediatric ICU, operating theatres, and imaging facilities. Space requirements and equipment for an up-to-date catheter laboratory are discussed. The document was endorsed by the council of the Association of European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiologists.

Potentially fatal arrhythmias add to the mental health challenges of adolescence. This systematic review sought to summarise current knowledge regarding the mental health of adolescents and pre-adolescents diagnosed with inherited arrhythmia syndromes. Searches combining psychological problems with inherited cardiac arrhythmia diagnoses identified 16 studies with paediatric (<18 years) inherited arrhythmia patients. All studies were cross-sectional; 8/16 required an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Methods were quantitative (n=11), qualitative (n=4), or mixed (n=1), with 14–100% of participants having an inherited arrhythmia syndrome. Mean/median age in 13/16 studies was 12–16 years. Patients and parents reported lower quality of life, particularly in relation to physical function, social relationships, restriction of peer activities, bodily pain, and mental and emotional health. Self-perceptions and behaviour were similar to healthy populations. Rates of anxiety and depression (15–33% of these patients) were not increased in these studies where patients were assessed 2+ years after diagnosis. Higher mental health risk occurred among patients who have a diagnosed sibling, those with cardiomyopathy, and those who report decreased quality of life. Mental health research among youth with inherited arrhythmias is extremely limited and of low quality. Data, primarily from patients 2–4 years after diagnosis or treatment with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, indicate that quality of life may be decreased and 15–33% experience mental health issues. Future research is required to examine the mental health and quality of life of paediatric patients with inherited arrhythmia syndromes, whether or not they have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, from time of diagnosis.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the number patients with CHD surviving into adulthood. Many have complications related to their CHD or its treatments, outside the heart, including ocular abnormalities. The objective of this review is to highlight the ocular abnormalities that occur in adults with CHD, either from their condition or related to the common drugs prescribed to manage it. In particular, we reviewed the effects of cyanosis, coarctation of the aorta, endocarditis, and the side effects of Sildenafil and Amiodarone. A change in the retinal vasculature is a common observation with cyanosis or coarctation of the aorta. Occlusion of the retinal vessels may also be observed in cyanotic patients, as well as those with infectious endocarditis. Sildenafil has established ocular side effects; here they are explored in the context of therapy for pulmonary hypertension. Similarly, Amiodarone has established ocular risks, which are summarised. The high prevalence of ocular consequences in adult CHD patients reinforces the need for knowledge of the risks involved and for frequent ophthalmological screening where appropriate.

Intrauterine myocardial infarction is a rare and frequently fatal diagnosis. It has been presented in the literature only as case reports and short series. We present a case report of a coronary occlusive intrauterine myocardial infarction and survival and present a systematic review of the literature. This is the first summative description of current data on intrauterine and perinatal myocardial infarction. We performed the systematic review based on the guidelines established by the PRISMA statement. Our population of intrauterine and perinatal myocardial infarction included published cases who presented as a live birth within the first 28 postnatal days, and had a diagnosis of myocardial infarction. We conducted descriptive statistics and regression analysis on short-term mortality as the primary outcome. After applying exclusion criteria we described 84 individual cases of myocardial infarction from 63 full-text articles including our own case. Presentation within the first 12 hours was associated with mortality (OR 3.90, p=0.004). Treatment modalities were varied and inconsistently recorded. The aetiologies and comorbidities are varied in our systematic review. We would have a low threshold to perform viral testing, consider anticoagulation early and coronary imaging if feasible. The use of extracorporeal membranous oxygenation may serve as a bridge to cardiac recovery.

The Prospective comparison of angiotensin receptor antagonist Valsartan and neprilysin inhibitor Sacubitril with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (enalapril) to determine impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure trial has demonstrated that Sacubitril/Valsartan is superior to Enalapril in reducing the risks of both sudden cardiac death and death from worsening heart failure. This novel combination, Sacubitril/Valsartan, is also shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and progression of heart failure in adults. However, the benefit of Sacubitril/Valsartan in paediatric heart failure patients is unknown. In this review, we discuss the similarities and differences in pathophysiology of heart failure in children versus adults, and the potential role of Sacubitril/Valsartan in paediatric heart failure patients.

Research that is closely connected with the population it is studying and in which the translational value to healthcare is high is a laudable goal, but it is not often achieved. The Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry has developed a model for involving patients and parents of children with a Fontan circulation in its research. The model involves consumer participation in the overarching Steering Committee, and has set in place multiple channels of communication allowing the early dissemination of research findings before peer-reviewing, and consumer feedback at all levels of the research. Our focus was not only to provide information but also to give a voice to this community and include them as researchers. These communication channels are a part of a larger network involving the practitioner community, support groups, funding agencies, and health authorities. This close connection with the target research population has multiple benefits: safeguarding the project; controlling and adjusting both the messages conveyed and the investigations; building a community; raising new ideas for research; increasing our research participation rate; increasing the weight of our endeavours; and, above all, increasing our own satisfaction in our research undertakings. In conclusion, the interactions with patients and their families within Australia and New Zealand provide one potential model for the involvement of patients and parents that may result in research that is more relevant, focussed, and practically applicable in a healthcare setting.

Persistence of the embryonic “fifth aortic arch” in postnatal life is a rare, enigmatic – and at times controversial – condition, with variable anatomical forms and physiological consequences. First described in humans over 40 years ago by Van Praagh, the condition was labelled the “great pretender” by Gerlis 25 years later, because of its apparent propensity to mimic anatomically similar structures. Despite many subsequent case reports citing the condition, the true developmental origin of these structures remains unresolved, and has been the subject of debate among embryologists for more than a century. A persistent fifth aortic arch has been defined as an extrapericardial structure, arising from the ascending aorta opposite or proximal to the brachiocephalic artery, and terminating in the dorsal aorta or pulmonary arteries via a persistently patent arterial duct. This description may therefore encompass various anatomical forms, such as a unilateral double-lumen aortic arch, an unrestrictive aortopulmonary shunt, or a critical vascular channel for either the systemic or pulmonary circulation. The physiological properties of these vessels, such as their response to prostaglandins, may also be unpredictable. In this article, we demonstrate a number of cases that fulfil the contemporary definition of “persistent fifth aortic arch” while acknowledging the embryological controversies associated with this term. We also outline the key diagnostic features, particularly with respect to the use of new cross-sectional imaging techniques.

Paediatric cardiology is arguably the sub-specialty in which the greatest advances have been made in both disease diagnosis and treatment over the past half a century. Paediatric cardiology emerged as a discipline in the 1930s. Since then, advances in imaging techniques such as echocardiography, angiography, CT, or magnetic resonance and extracorporeal circulation have provided excellent diagnosis and treatment of CHD. The pioneers of paediatric cardiology are more than eponyms, for each used in new and original ways the tools and concepts available in his or her era. This brief overview of the history of paediatric cardiology on stamps begins from William Harvey up to our own time, and includes the milestones in paediatric cardiology.

The care of children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is constantly evolving. Prenatal diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome will aid in counselling of parents, and selected fetuses may be candidates for in utero intervention. Following birth, palliation can be undertaken through staged operations: Norwood (or hybrid) in the 1st week of life, superior cavopulmonary connection at 4–6 months of life, and finally total cavopulmonary connection (Fontan) at 2–4 years of age. Children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome are at risk of circulatory failure their entire life, and selected patients may undergo heart transplantation. In this review article, we summarise recent advances in the critical care management of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome as were discussed in a focused session at the 12th International Conference of the Paediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society held on 9 December, 2016, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Trace elements are essential micronutrients for the human body. In this study, we evaluated the alterations in copper, chromium, manganese, selenium, magnesium, zinc, iron, arsenic, boron, and silicon levels in children with cyanotic and acyanotic CHD who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Participants were divided into the following three groups: patients acyanotic CHDs (n=34), patients with cyanotic CHDs (n=30), and healthy controls (n=30). Blood samples were collected before the surgery and 1 hour after the sternum was closed. Serum trace elements were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer-ICAP 6000. The baseline serum arsenic, manganese, and zinc levels of both patient groups were lower compared with controls, but there was no significant difference between baseline serum trace element levels of cyanotic and acyanotic patients. In both the patient groups, there was a significant decrease in postoperative serum arsenic, boron, copper, and zinc levels, and a significant increase in postoperative serum iron and magnesium levels. Silicon levels increased in cyanotic patients. Alterations in trace element levels were in the same direction in cyanotic and acyanotic patients. Copper, zinc, and manganase replacement may be needed after on-pump cardiac surgery.

With the increase in long-term survival of post-transplant children, there is a paradigm shift in the emphasis of post-transplant care. We describe de novo cardiovascular abnormalities, which occurred in otherwise asymptomatic paediatric liver transplant recipients, who received liver allografts between 1991 and 2014 at the National University Hospital, Singapore, detected during routine post-transplant monitoring. A total of 96 paediatric liver transplants were performed in 90 children. After transplant, 7/90 (7.8%) recipients were identified with new-onset aortopathy. Glycogen storage disease type I (42.9% versus 2.4%; p<0.001) and recipient Epstein-Barr virus seropositivity (85.7 versus 31.0%, p=0.004) were significant risk factors for aortopathy on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, only glycogen storage disease type I remained as the significant risk factor (odds ratio 51.3 [95% confidence intervals: 1.1–2498.1, p=0.047]). Liver transplant is a double-edged sword that reverses certain cardiopulmonary complications of end-stage liver disease but may induce de novo structural cardiac injury in the form of aortic dilation.

Critical heart disease in the pediatric population is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Research around the most effective communication and decision-making strategies is lacking. This systematic review aims to summarise what is known about parent preference for communication and decision-making in children with critical heart disease. Database searches included key words such as family, pediatric heart disease, communication, and decision-making. A total of 10 studies fit our inclusion criteria: nine were qualitative studies with parent interviews and one study was quantitative with a parent survey. We found three main themes regarding physician–parent communication and decision-making in the context of paediatric heart disease: (1) amount, timing, and content of information provided to parents; (2) helpful physician characteristics and communication styles; and (3) reinforcing the support circle for families.