Prospective Assessment of Coronary Artery Flows Before and After Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Children With a Spectrum of Congenital Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: Normative data for the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on coronary artery Doppler velocities by transesophageal echocardiography in paediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are lacking. The objective of the study was to prospectively examine the effects of CPB on coronary artery flow patterns by transesophageal echocardiography before and after CPB in children with CHD. METHODS: All cases undergoing CHD surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, were eligible. The excluded cases included Norwood operation, heart transplantation, or weight <2.5 kg. Coronary Dopplers and coronary flow reserve (CFR) for the right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending (LAD) were obtained. Multivariable analyses using linear regression models were performed, adjusted for age and cross-clamp time. RESULTS: From May 2017 to June 2018, 69 children (median age at surgery: 0.7 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 0.4-3.7 years; median weight: 7.4 kg, IQR: 5.8-13.3 kg) were included. They were grouped into shunt lesions (N = 26), obstructive lesions (N = 26), transposition of the great arteries (N = 5), and single ventricle (N = 12). N = 39 (57%) were primary repairs, and 56 (81%) had 1 CPB run. For RCA and LAD peak velocities, there was an increase from pre- to post-CPB in RCA peak 39 cm/s (IQR: 30-54 cm/s) to 65 cm/s (IQR: 47-81 cm/s), P < 0.001, mean CFR 1.52 (IQR: 1.25-1.81), and LAD peak 49 cm/s (IQR: 39-60 cm/s) to 70 cm/s (IQR: 52-90 cm/s), P < 0.001, mean CFR 1.48 (IQR: 1.14-1.77). CONCLUSIONS: Coronary flow velocities increase from pre- to post-CPB in congenital heart lesions. CFR is consistent across all lesions but is relatively low compared with the adult population.