The effect of the duration of the procedure on the risk of complications during pediatric cardiac catheterization

Background: This study aims to evaluate the frequency of and associated risk factors for adverse events caused by cardiac catheterization procedures in pediatric patients. Methods: Between January 2009 and January 2012, a total of 599 pediatric patients (320 males, 279 females; mean age 5.4 +/- 4.7 years; range, 1 day to 21 years) who underwent cardiac catheterization in our cardiac catheterization laboratory were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical data of the patients including the duration of the procedure, management of anesthesia, the American Society of Anesthesiologists class, and Catheterization Risk Score for Pediatrics, and procedure-related serious adverse events were recorded. Results: The incidence of procedure-related serious adverse events was 9.18%. Potential risk factors associated with serious adverse events were identified as interventional heart catheterization, high scores obtained from the Catheterization Risk Score for Pediatrics, the use of endotracheal tube in airway control, and prolonged procedural duration. Conclusion: Our study results suggest that prolonged duration of catheterization is a potential risk factor for procedure-related adverse events and the duration of the procedure needs to be included as a variable in the Catheterization Risk Score for Pediatrics scoring system for predicting procedure-related adverse events.