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BackgroundCOVID-19 has caused significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is likely to increase vulnerability and understanding the predictors of adverse outcomes is key to optimising care.ObjectiveAscertain the impact of COVID-19 on people with CHD and define risk factors for adverse outcomes.MethodsMulticentre UK study undertaken 1 March 2020–30 June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected on CHD diagnoses, clinical presentation and outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression with multiple imputation was performed to explore predictors of death and hospitalisation.ResultsThere were 405 reported cases (127 paediatric/278 adult). In children (age <16 years), there were 5 (3.9%) deaths. Adjusted ORs (AORs) for hospitalisation in children were significantly lower with each ascending year of age (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.96 (p<0.01)). In adults, there were 24 (8.6%) deaths (19 with comorbidities) and 74 (26.6%) hospital admissions. AORs for death in adults were significantly increased with each year of age (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10 (p<0.01)) and with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; OR 5.99, 95% CI 1.34 to 26.91 (p=0.02)). AORs for hospitalisation in adults were significantly higher with each additional year of age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.05 (p=0.04)), additional comorbidities (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.31 to 7.97 (p=0.01)) and genetic disease (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.04 to 7.94 (p=0.04)).ConclusionsChildren were at low risk of death and hospitalisation secondary to COVID-19 even with severe CHD, but hospital admission rates were higher in younger children, independent of comorbidity. In adults, higher likelihood of death was associated with increasing age and PAH, and of hospitalisation with age, comorbidities and genetic disease. An individualised approach, based on age and comorbidities, should be taken to COVID-19 management in patients with CHD.

Intra-cardiac foreign bodies are a rare occurrence and there is minimal literature on retention of sutures following cardiac surgery. This is an unusual case of a retained intracardiac prolene suture following surgical correction of Tetralogy of Fallot in a 6 month old patient. The patient had an uneventful post-surgical recovery but a foreign body was identified on a routine post-operative transthoracic echocardiogram. Due to the uncertain nature of the structure, the patient underwent fluoroscopy, chest X-ray and a cardiac CT which were unable to identify the nature of the structure. The best modality for identification was echocardiography, which consistently demonstrated the origin, and course of the suture. Due to a high level of suspicion and consistent findings on echocardiograms, the patient underwent surgical exploration 10 days following surgery and a prolene suture was identified originating in the right upper pulmonary vein extending though the mitral and aortic valve to the transverse aortic arch. This was thought to be from the purse string suture used for the left ventricular vent inserted via the right upper pulmonary vein during surgery.

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common arrhythmia in the pediatric population. Adenosine is widely accepted as the first-line pharmacological treatment for hemodynamically stable SVT, constituting a class I recommendation in the 2020 American Heart Association guidelines for pediatric life support (2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care). As most pediatric SVTs are dependent on the atrioventricular node (AVN) for their propagation, and adenosine acts primarily on the AVN, adenosine will frequently terminate the arrhythmia. The term "adenosine failure" is often used to describe when its administration does not result in sustained termination of the tachycardia. Because of its very short half-life, there is confusion between improper delivery, failure to have any effect on the tachycardia, or transient termination. There are some pediatric SVTs, which are not AVN dependent, and which truly are refractory to adenosine. Simultaneous electrocardiogram recording during administration can provide important information to differentiate between adenosine resistance and transient adenosine effect, thus guiding further management.