Fatih Şap

Evaluation of cardiac functions in term small for gestational age newborns with mild growth retardation: A serial conventional and tissue Doppler imaging echocardiographic study

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate the cardiac functions of term small for gestational age (SGA) babies with mild growth retardation by echocardiography during the postnatal period. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty term SGA (2271±207 g/38-41 weeks (mean 39.5 weeks)) and 30 term AGA (3298±338 g/38-41 weeks (mean 39 weeks)) newborns as the control group, with normal general health status and with no nutritional problems were evaluated at three time points, on the 3rd postnatal day, at the 3rd and the 6th months. In the initial analysis, heart rate, left ventricular end diastolic diameter index (LVEdDI), cardiac index (CI), all E/A, Em/Am and E/Em ratios, pulsed wave Doppler myocardial performance index (MPI), and tissue Doppler imaging MPI values were higher in SGA babies than the control group. In the last analysis, only heart rate, LVEdDI and CI values were different between SGA and control groups. CONCLUSIONS Systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunctions were determined in SGA babies with mild growth retardation during the first 6 months of postnatal period. Any disease that affects the hemodynamic stability of these patients during postnatal period may lead to early progressive deterioration in cardiac functions. Furthermore, many of the cardiac functions of these babies have been improved about the 6th month period, and high levels of heart rate and LVEdDI may be suggested as an indicator of cardiac remodeling.

PHACE syndrome with growth hormone deficiency and absence of bilateral internal carotid arteries: a case report.

Abstract:  PHACE syndrome is characterized by posterior fossa malformations (P), large facial hemangiomas (H), arterial anomalies (A), cardiac anomalies or coarctation of aorta (C), and eye anomalies (E) and has striking female predominance. Endocrine abnormalities have recently been described in these patients, involving the thyroid and pituitary glands. We report the case of a 2‐year‐old girl with the clinical features of PHACE with absence of bilateral internal carotid arteries and isolated growth hormone deficiency.

Evaluation of epicardial adipose tissue, carotid intima-media thickness and ventricular functions in obese children and adolescents

Abstract Background: Childhood obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor. Objective: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cardiac functions of obese children and their correlations were evaluated. Subjects: Five hundred obese children and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Methods: Anthropometric, laboratory data and echocardiographic measurements of IMT, EAT and cardiac functions were determined. Results: Increased M-mode echocardiographic measurements, E/e′ ratios, Tei index values and decreased E/A and e′/a′ ratios (where E and A are early and late mitral/tricuspid diastolic velocities, respectively, and e′ and a′ are peak early diastolic and peak atrial systolic myocardial velocities, respectively), were determined in the obese group. Also, carotid artery IMT and EAT thickness were significantly higher in obese children. Carotid artery IMT, EAT thickness and left ventricular mass (LVM) were found to be strongly associated with Tei index values. Conclusion: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, we showed that obese children have early subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunctions. Also, these cardiac impairments are correlated with the increase in IMT, EAT thickness and LVM.

Increased ischaemia-modified albumin is associated with inflammation in acute rheumatic fever.

INTRODUCTION Ischaemia-modified albumin, a novel biochemical marker for tissue ischaemia, was found to be associated with oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of ischaemia-modified albumin in the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever and also to evaluate the ischaemia-modified albumin levels in children with heart valve disease. METHODS The study groups, aged 5-18 years, consisted of 128 individuals - 40 with acute rheumatic fever, 35 with congenital heart valve disease, 33 with chronic rheumatic heart disease, and 20 healthy control subjects. RESULTS The ischaemia-modified albumin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels of the acute rheumatic fever group were significantly higher than those in the chronic rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart valve disease, and control groups, separately (p < 0.001). The ischaemia-modified albumin levels in both carditis and isolated arthritis subgroups of children with acute rheumatic fever were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the chorea subgroup and control subjects. In addition, significant correlations were observed between ischaemia-modified albumin and acute phase reactants of patients with acute rheumatic fever (p < 0.001 for both erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein). The ischaemia-modified albumin levels of chronic rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart valve disease, and control subjects were similar. CONCLUSIONS The increased level of ischaemia-modified albumin in children with acute rheumatic fever seems to be associated with inflammation. However, further studies are needed to provide stronger evidence.

Duktus Bağımlı Konjenital Kalp Hastalıklarında Oral Prostaglandin E1 Tedavisinin Değerlendirilmesi

Purpose: Intravenous prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) infusion is a treatment which has been proven to be effective in ductus dependent congenital heart disease. However, PGE1 is very expensive, needed continuous infusion and its supply is difficult by every center. When its long term use is necessary, these problems become more important. The aim of this study was to show whether oral PGE1could keep the ductus open or not till the supply of intravenous PGE1. Method: Ten patients, who were admitted to newborn intensive care unit with the diagnosis of ductus dependent congenital heart disease and received oral PGE1 till the supply of intravenous PGE1, were evaluated. The PO2 with the arterial blood gas analysis and SO2 levels with pulse oxymeter at skin were recorded before and after the administration of oral and intravenous PGE1. Results: The mean oral PGE1 initiation age was 5.5 hours (0.5-25), and mean administration period was 28 hours (18-46). It was observed that the PO2 and SO2 levels of patients measured 2 hours after the initiation of oral PGE1 were significantly increased compared to the levels before initiation of PGE1. The improvement in PO2 and SO2 levels continued till the initiation of intravenous PGE1. It was also observed that the PO2 and SO2 levels of patients measured 2 hours after the initiation of intravenous PGE1 were slightly increased compared to levels before initiation of intravenous PGE1. Conclusion: Although intravenous PGE1 is more effective than oral PGE1 in short term usage, oral PGE1 is also sufficiently effective in keeping the dustus open. For this reason until the intravenous PGE1 is supplied oral PGE1 may be used as an alternative treatment choice. We think that in long term use oral PGE1, which is cheaper and easy to use, could be used instead of intravenous PGE1 without need of admission to hospital and opening intravenous line. However for this further studies are needed to confirm this assumption.