Objective Infantile spasms are seizures associated with a severe epileptic encephalopathy presenting in the first 2 years of life, and optimal treatment continues to be debated. This study evaluates early and sustained response to initial treatments and addresses both clinical remission and electrographic resolution of hypsarrhythmia. Secondarily, it assesses whether response to treatment differs by etiology or developmental status. Methods The National Infantile Spasms Consortium established a multicenter, prospective database enrolling infants with new diagnosis of infantile spasms. Children were considered responders if there was clinical remission and resolution of hypsarrhythmia that was sustained at 3 months after first treatment initiation. Standard treatments of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), oral corticosteroids, and vigabatrin were considered individually, and all other nonstandard therapies were analyzed collectively. Developmental status and etiology were assessed. We compared response rates by treatment group using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression models. Results Two hundred thirty infants were enrolled from 22 centers. Overall, 46% of children receiving standard therapy responded, compared to only 9% who responded to nonstandard therapy (p<0.001). Fifty-five percent of infants receiving ACTH as initial treatment responded, compared to 39% for oral corticosteroids, 36% for vigabatrin, and 9% for other (p<0.001). Neither etiology nor development significantly modified the response pattern by treatment group. Interpretation Response rate varies by treatment choice. Standard therapies should be considered as initial treatment for infantile spasms, including those with impaired development or known structural or genetic/metabolic etiology. ACTH appeared to be more effective than other standard therapies.

Key Points Question Does a shared decision support intervention for patients considering destination therapy left ventricular assist device (DT LVAD) improve decision quality compared with usual care? Findings In this multicenter randomized stepped-wedgeclinical trial of 248 patients being considered for DT LVAD, compared with patients in the usual care control period, patients enrolled in the intervention period had significantly better knowledge and higher concordance between stated values and patient-reported treatment choice. Meaning An intervention supporting shared decision making for DT LVAD was associated with improved patient decision quality.

The outcome of pregnancy in kidney donors has generally been viewed to be favorable. We determined fetal and maternal outcomes in a large cohort of kidney donors. A total of 2102 women have donated a kidney at our institution; 1589 donors responded to our pregnancy surveys; 1085 reported 3213 pregnancies and 504 reported none. Fetal and maternal outcomes in postdonation pregnancies were comparable to published rates in the general population. Postdonation (vs. predonation) pregnancies were associated with a lower likelihood of full-term deliveries (73.7% vs. 84.6%, p = 0.0004) and a higher likelihood of fetal loss (19.2% vs. 11.3%, p < 0.0001). Postdonation pregnancies were also associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes (2.7% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.0001), gestational hypertension (5.7% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.0001), proteinuria (4.3% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.0001) and preeclampsia (5.5% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.0001). Women who had both pre-and post-donation pregnancies were also more likely to have these adverse maternal outcomes in their postdonation pregnancies. In this large survey of previous living donors in a single center, fetal and maternal outcomes and pregnancy outcomes after kidney donation were similar to those reported in the general population, but inferior to predonation pregnancy outcomes.

Objective To determine the cardiac effects of prolonged exposure to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on HIV-infected (HIV+) children. Design In the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study’s Adolescent Master Protocol (AMP), we used linear regression models to compare echocardiogram measures. Setting 14 U.S. pediatric HIV clinics. Patients/Participants Perinatally-infected HIV+ children receiving HAART with HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) children and HIV+ (mostly HAART-unexposed) historical pediatric controls from the NIH-funded Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Complications of Vertically Transmitted HIV Infection (P2C2-HIV) Study. Main Exposure Long-term HAART. Outcome Measures Echocardiographic measures of left ventricular (LV) function and structure. Results The 325 AMP HIV+ children had lower viral loads, higher CD4 counts, and longer duration of antiretroviral therapy than 70 P2C2 HIV+ children (all P’s < 0·001). Z scores for LV fractional shortening (a measure of cardiac function) were significantly lower among P2C2 HIV+ children than among the AMP HIV+ group or the 189 AMP HEU controls (P < 0.05). For HIV+ children, lower nadir CD4 percentage and higher current viral load were associated with significantly lower cardiac function (LV contractility and LV fractional shortening Z scores; P’s = 0.001) and increased LV end-systolic dimension Z score (P’s < 0.03). In an interaction analysis by HIV+ cohort, P2C2 HIV+ children with longer ART exposure or lower nadir CD4 percentage had lower mean LV fractional shortening Z scores, while mean Z scores were relatively constant among AMP HIV+ children (P<0·05 for all interactions). Conclusions HAART appears to be cardioprotective in HIV+ children and adolescents.