Half of all cases of IE in patients with CHD occurred in patients with non-corrected native-valve CHD and two-thirds were community-acquired. Streptococcus spp. were the most frequent etiological agents. Patients with prosthetic-valve IE present a worse outcome, especially those requiring surgery. Breakthrough bacteremia, nosocomial IE, and heart failure are independent factors of mortality in patients with CHD presenting IE.
Continuous terlipressin infusion may improve hemodynamics and survival in some children with refractory septic shock. Terlipressin could contribute to tissue ischemia.
The surgical and postoperative complications in these patients depend on the specific cardiac lesion. A multidisciplinary team with experience in the treatment of congenitally malformed hearts is essential for appropriate management of these patients.
Background
Prostanoid treatment in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been proven safe and effective. Subcutaneous administration of treprostinil has side effects, which limits their use and acceptance. An implantable pump for continuous intravenous treprostinil infusion has been recently approved. We describe our experience with the implantable pump in three pediatric patients.
Description of Cases
The LENUS pro pump was implanted in three adolescents with severe PAH, who were treated with tadalafil, ambrisentan, and subcutaneous treprostinil. The indication of the Lenus pro pump implantation was the local side effects of subcutaneous treprostinil (pain, inflammation, and local infection) that were not well tolerated and that severely decreased their quality of life. The pump was surgically implanted under general anesthesia.One patient, in functional class IV, suffered postoperative hemodynamic instability and small pneumothorax, requiring an increase in treprostinil dose up to 85 ng/kg/min and a decrease 9 days after the pump implantation. The second patient who was discharged 4 days after surgery with treprostinil at 60 ng/kg/min reported improvement in his quality of life, but the dose requirement increased up to 92 ng/kg/min. After a 21‐month follow‐up, this patient received a lung transplant. The third patient presented a hematoma at the pump site with no other complications and had a follow‐up of 9 months with an improvement in her quality of life.
Comments
Implantable pumps for continuous parenteral prostanoid infusion in pediatric patients are an alternative to external pumps, especially when familiar psychological or psychomotor issues hinder the use of external pumps.
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