Does septal myectomy improve surgical outcomes and long-term survival in pediatric patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
Septal myectomy in pediatric patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is safe and effective, providing substantial hemodynamic improvement and favorable survival.
Evidence regarding outcomes of septal myectomy in pediatric patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) remains limited. This meta-analysis aimed to assess surgical outcomes and long-term survival in this population. A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases to identify studies evaluating septal myectomy in pediatric patients with obstructive HCM. Eight clinical trials comprising a total of 490 pediatric patients met the inclusion criteria. Among children undergoing septal myectomy for HOCM, the pooled early and late mortality rates were 3.3% and 8.5%, respectively. Concomitant mitral valve repair was performed in 7.3% of patients. Rates of complete atrioventricular block and permanent pacemaker implantation were 9.9% and 5.1%, respectively. The mean durations of intensive care and hospital stay were 34.6 h and 12.9 days. Postoperative wound infection and reoperation occurred in 3.4% and 6.4% of cases. Echocardiographic assessments demonstrated a marked reduction in LVOT gradient (from 86.9 to 16.2 mmHg) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Mitral regurgitation decreased from 49.8 to 6.4%, and systolic anterior motion from 84.9 to 19.9%. Septal myectomy in pediatric patients with HOCM is a safe and effective procedure, associated with favorable survival and substantial symptomatic and hemodynamic improvement. However, results must be interpreted cautiously due to moderate-quality retrospective data.
Cappellaro et al. (Mon,) studied this question.