sildenafil-citrate and Tetralogy-of-Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia (PA) and multiple aortopulmonary collaterals (MAPCAs) is a rare and severe form of congenital heart disease with poor prognosis. Aortopulmonary collaterals expose pulmonary arterioles to systemic pressure resulting in pulmonary hypertension (PH). To date, reports regarding the role of PH medications in this population are sparse. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of PH medications in patients with TOF, PA and MAPCAs or similar anatomy, with emphasis on symptoms, echocardiography and invasive hemodynamics. A retrospective review was performed for patients at a single tertiary care pediatric center. Twelve of 66 patients were treated with PH medications (18 %), and eight of these patients had adequate follow-up for further analysis. Median age at last follow-up was 6 years (range 1.4-21 years). Median length of therapy with PH medication was 4 years (range 0.3-17 years). PH medications included sildenafil, bosentan, ambrisentan, inhaled treprostinil and prostacyclin infusion. PH therapy was associated with improvement in symptoms in all patients and improvement in PH by hemodynamic measures in the majority of patients. All patients underwent at least one cardiac intervention by catheterization or surgery while taking PH medication. Two patients died from non-PH-related causes. The remaining six patients are alive and remain on PH medication. This review indicates that PH medications are well tolerated by this patient group and provide symptomatic improvement. Further studies are required to determine whether PH medications provide long-term survival benefit for patients with complex congenital heart disease.

Topics: Abnormalities, Multiple; Adolescent; Antihypertensive Agents; Bosentan; Catheterization; Child; Child, Preschool; District of Columbia; Echocardiography; Female; Hemodynamics; Hospitals, Pediatric; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lung; Male; Phenylpropionates; Pulmonary Artery; Pulmonary Atresia; Pyridazines; Retrospective Studies; Sildenafil Citrate; Sulfonamides; Tertiary Care Centers; Tetralogy of Fallot; Young Adult

Complex pulmonary atresia (CPA) i.e. pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aorto-pulmonary collaterals (MAPCAs) or Tetralogy of Fallot with MAPCAs frequently have a clinical course complicated by development of pulmonary arterial (PA) hypertension.. A cross-sectional retrospective review of patients >16 years with CPA or Tetralogy of Fallot with MAPCAs and PA hypertension treated with sildenafil was conducted. Case notes were reviewed for baseline and follow-up (after sildenafil) characteristics.. Five patients, 4 female, median age 28 (range 18 to 47) years, were identified. All patients experienced symptomatic improvement: 2 of 4 wheelchair bound patients responded dramatically and walked 345 and 157 m respectively in 6 min following sildenafil therapy. One of the 4 with marked PA arborization abnormalities and severe ventricular dysfunction had initial symptomatic improvement. Another patient improved from walking less 100 m to climbing 2 flights of stairs. Arterial saturations improved in 2 cases from 70 and 60% to 87 and 84% respectively, whilst arterial saturations remained static in 1 case despite embolization of a classical Blalock-Taussig shunt. One patient with PA arborization/diminished PA bed was unable to tolerate sildenafil.. Sildenafil is well tolerated and leads to symptomatic improvement and better saturations in the majority of patients with CPA with PA hypertension when used in isolation or as an adjunct to percutaneous PA angioplasty.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aortopulmonary Septal Defect; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; Piperazines; Pulmonary Atresia; Purines; Retrospective Studies; Sildenafil Citrate; Sulfones; Tetralogy of Fallot; Young Adult