Infants with dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) are at high risk for hemodynamic compromise in the immediate postnatal period due to dependence on intracardiac mixing for oxygen delivery. This period of profound hypoxemia may have long-term implications, as previous studies demonstrated patients with d-TGA are at increased risk for neurocognitive delays despite effective surgical correction in the neonatal period. Balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) is an established intervention that improves intracardiac mixing and perioperative hemodynamics. This retrospective study aimed to quantify the time from birth to BAS and compare short-term outcomes for patients with prenatal and postnatal diagnoses of d-TGA. We identified 68 newborns born with d-TGA who were admitted to our facility between 2013 and 2022 and required BAS within 48 h after birth. Halfway through this study, our cardiac interventional team began traveling to a nearby delivery center where a bedside BAS could be performed prior to transferring the patient. We divided the patients into 3 groups-postnatal diagnosis (n = 27), prenatal diagnosis with rapid transport (n = 24), and prenatal diagnosis with interventional team performing a BAS at the delivery hospital (n = 17). The time from birth to BAS was significantly shorter for patients in the interventional program group (1.1 h) compared to the rapid transport (4.5 h) and postnatal diagnosis groups (9.3 h, p value < 0.01). The interventional program group also had lower lactate levels and less acidotic pH compared to the other groups. There was no significant difference in lowest oxygen saturation level, pre-surgical neurologic complication rate, time to surgery, or hospital length of stay. The interventional program proved to be a safe and effective model, as there were no procedural complications and the time to BAS decreased. Long-term follow-up is needed to determine if abating this initial period of hemodynamic instability will lead to improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Keywords: BAS; Balloon Septostomy; D-TGA; Prenatal diagnosis; Transposition of the great arteries.
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