Consequences and complications of un-intervened congenital heart defects in children: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background

Children with unrepaired congenital heart defects (CHDs) are at risk of developing complications related to the scarcity of interventions, delayed diagnosis, financial constraints, and difficulty reaching facilities in low-and middle-income countries.

Objective

Describe the frequency of complications by age and CHD type in children with un-intervened CHDs seen at Bahir Dar University Tibebe-Ghion Specialized Teaching Hospital.

Method

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study on children with un-intervened CHDs seen from September 01, 2021, to August 31, 2024. Data were collected from September 20 to 30, 2024, retrospectively. Categorical variables were analyzed in the form of proportions. Discrete variables were summarized as means (SD). Binary logistic regression was performed with 95 % confidence interval. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.

Result

Of the 310 children with un-intervened CHDs, 47 % were female. The mean (SD) age was 28 months (42). Wasting (46 %) is the most common complication in children with CHD, followed by congestive heart failure (41 %), and recurrent respiratory tract infection (30 %). Seventy percent of children with un-intervened CHDs have at least one complication (68 % of acyanotic and 77 % of cyanotic CHDs). After adjusting for covariates, one month increase in age of children with un-intervened CHD increases the proportion of complications by 2 % {AOR = 1.019, 95 % CI = (1.007, 1.031)}.

Conclusion

A higher proportion of children with CHD had at least one or more complications. A one month delay in intervention of children with un-intervened CHDs has a 2 % increase in the occurrence of complications.