Congenital heart diseases in premature newborns.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in newborns admitted with prematurity. Study Design: Descriptive Cross Sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Neonatology Children’s Hospital & The Institute of Child Health, Multan. Period: August 2019 to January 2020. Material & Methods: A total of 155 preterm infants ≤36 weeks gestation were included. In preterm newborns of either gender, echocardiography was done by hospital Pediatric Cardiologist. Patient’s name, age, gestational age, weight, sex, date, serial number, registration number and echocardiographic results were entered in pre-designed performa. The outcome variable was frequency of congenital heart disease in preterm newborns. Results: Congenital heart disease was detected in 34.8% (n = 54) preterm infants. Nine percent (n=14) were < 1.5 kg, 45.2% (n=70) between 1.5 – 2.0 kg and 45.8% (n=71) were > 2.0 kg in weight. Most frequent lesion was Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) in 19 (35%) infants followed by patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in 15 (28%) infants. Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) was seen in 6 (11%) preterm infants. Frequency of CHD was significantly higher (p-value < 0.001) in babies delivered at ≤32 weeks and those infants with with birth weight <1.5 kg. Conclusion: The study highlights the association of congenital heart diseases in premature and low birth weight neonates. So, every preterm and low birth weight neonate must undergo echocardiography to screen for CHD so that earlier diagnosis may be made for earlier intervention.