Bronchoscopic findings in children with congenital heart disease

Introduction: The aim of this study was evaluation of broncoscopic findings in children with congenital heart disease(CHD). Method: Bronchoscopy was performed in 37 patients with CHD who were followed between October 2012–December 2014 in our hospital. The data obtained from these patients were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Twenty-one of the patients were males and 16 were females, median ages 12.5 mo (1-36m). Twenty-seven patients (72.9 %) were operated for congenital heart disease. Twelve of the patients had pulmonary hypertension. Bronchoscopy was performed because of extubation failure, atelectasis, recurrent or persistant pneumonia, stridor and persistant cough; 17,7,7,4 and 2, respectively. Laryngomalacia, tracheomalacia, bronchomalacia, tracheal stenosis, airway branch anomalies, granulation tissue formation and pulsatile airway pressure was determined in flexible bronchoscopy, 13,12,8,4,17,7 and 10, respectively. Twenty-seven of the patients were followed with mechanical ventilation(MV). MV duration before and after bronchoscopy was median 30 and 12 days, respectively. Tracheostomy was performed in 15 cases. After bronchoscopy five of these patients were removed from tracheostomy. Eleven out of the patients had positive culture in bronkoalveolar lavage. Patients were discharged with room air, tracheostomy with room air, only with supplemental oxygen, tracheostomy with supplemental oxygen; 19(51.3%), 6(16.2%), 1(2.7%),1(2.7%), respectively. One patient was following intubated with ventilatory support. Nine patients died. Conclusions: Airway anomalies were more frequently encountered in patients with congenital heart disease.