The use of lung ultrasound to assess the prevalence of lung interstitial syndrome in paediatric cardiac surgery patients and the measurement of postoperative length of hospital stay
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Larson, Ilke
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Background: In recent years, ultrasound has gained popularity in the assessment of pulmonary pathology, especially in
the critical care setting. However, limited data are available for the use of lung ultrasound (LUS) for the diagnosis of
lung interstitial syndrome (LIS) in the paediatric cardiac surgery population.
Methods: The aim of this observational cross-sectional study primarily was to assess the prevalence of LIS due to
extravascular lung water (EVLW) in paediatric patients with high pulmonary-flow congenital cardiac lesions. Patients
who underwent corrective open heart surgery were scanned immediately post-operatively and B-lines in each of eight
thoracic areas were counted. LIS was diagnosed or ruled out based on this result. Secondary outcomes were
postoperative length of stay (LOS) in Cardiothoracic Unit (CTU) and in hospital and whether LIS is associated with
prolonged LOS.
Results: Twenty children aged between 6 months and 9 years were included in this study. The prevalence of LIS was
found to be 25%. The median LOS in the CTU for children diagnosed with LIS was 4.0 days (range 3.0 to 6.0) and
median length of hospital stay was 7.5 days (range 6.0 to 20.0). There was no statistical difference in CTU LOS
(p = 0.601) or hospital LOS (p = 0.544) between the groups with or without LIS.
Conclusion: Pulmonary complications are common after surgery for congenital heart disease. This study showed a
prevalence of LIS of 25%. This can potentially result in increased morbidity and mortality, but the study sample was
too small to prove this. LUS can be used for early identification and management of complications.
Description
Keywords
Pulmonary fibrosis, Postoperative care, Heart -- Surgery, Lung -- Ultrasound imaging, Pediatric cardiology, Children -- Surgery, Hospital care, Dissertation (M.Med. (Anaesthesiology))--Univesity of the Free State, 2016