Daiji Takajo, Paul J. Critser, Michelle Cash, Melissa Magness, Russel Hirsch
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati.
United States
Journal of the American Heart Association
J Am Heart Assoc 2025;
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.124.037908
Abstract
Background: Pulmonary vein stenosis in children is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the cause and risk factors for mortality remain uncertain.
Methods: This retrospective, single-center study identified children with primary and secondary pulmonary vein stenosis through a cardiac catheterization database. Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank tests, and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess outcome and identify significant predictors of mortality.
Results: Among 56 children with pulmonary vein stenosis (33 male children, 59%), 20 (36%) died at a median age of 10 months (interquartile range, 4-24 months). All patients underwent cardiac catheterization, with 45 (80%) undergoing at least 1 interventional procedure. Causes of death included multiorgan failure (35%), progressive respiratory failure (20%), and sudden cardiac death (15%). Prematurity, chronic lung disease, a genetic syndrome, or the number of affected pulmonary veins did not significantly correlate with mortality. However, right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure greater than half systemic pressure was associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 5.5 [95% CI, 2.2-14.1]; P<0.001). The final predictive model for mortality included RV systolic pressure greater than half systemic pressure (HR, 4.0 [95% CI, 1.6-10.4]; P=0.004), moderately or severely diminished RV systolic function (HR, 3.6 [95% CI, 1.1-11.5]; P=0.032), and the presence of congenital heart disease (HR, 2.4 [95% CI, 0.9-6.7]; P=0.084).
Conclusions: This report is the first to indicate that RV systolic pressure and RV dysfunction are significant independent predictors of mortality in children with pulmonary vein stenosis. A greater understanding of mortality in this population is necessary, particularly in those with RV systolic pressure less than half systemic.
Category
Stenosis or Obstruction of Normal Pulmonary Venous Connections
Stenosis or Obstruction of Pulmonary Veins Following Surgical Repair of Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connections
Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Stenosis or Atresia of Pulmonary Veins
Right Heart Failure Associated with Stenosis or Atresia of Pulmonary Veins
Patient Factors Influencing the Onset, Severity or Outcome of Disease
Symptoms and Quality of Life Associated with Pulmonary Venous Obstruction
Length of Life Associated with Pulmonary Venous Obstruction
Catheter-mediated Interventions: Efficacy or Lack of Efficacy
Year of Publication: 2025
Age Focus: Pediatric
Article Type: Retrospective Observational Cohort Studies (>10 patients)
Article Access: Free PDF File or Full Text Article Available Through PubMed or DOI: Yes
Correction
In the article by Takajo et al, “Mortality Patterns in Pediatric Pulmonary Vein Stenosis: Insights Into Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure Associations,” which published online on January 17, 2025 (J Am Heart Assoc. 2025; 2025;14:e037908. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.124.035037) and was included in the January 21, 2025 issue of the journal, corrections were needed. Throughout the manuscript, the term “ECG” was mistakenly used instead of “echocardiographic” or “echocardiography.” This error occurred during the copyediting process, where “echo” was inadvertently converted to “ECG.” The specific corrections are as follows: In the Methods section, third paragraph, “At our institution, suspicion of PVS typically arises from ECG findings.” has been corrected to “At our institution, suspicion of PVS typically arises from echocardiographic findings.” In the Methods section, third paragraph, “The ECG performed closest to the last catheterization was used for subsequent analysis.” has been changed to “The echocardiography performed closest to the last catheterization was used for subsequent analysis. In the footnotes of Table 3, “RV systolic function assessed by ECG closest to the last catheterization” has been corrected to “RV systolic function assessed by echocardiography closest to the last catheterization.” The authors and publisher regret the errors. The online version of the article has been updated and is available at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.124.035037.