Objective

To determine frequency of postoperative hyperglycemia in children who underwent repair of Congenital Cardiac Defects (CCDs) in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan. The other objective was to compare outcomes in children with versus without postoperative hyperglycemia who underwent repair of CCDs in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan.

Methods

A descriptive study was conducted at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan from October 3, 2020, to April 2, 2021. A total of 185 patients aged one month-18 years admitted to CICU underwent elective surgical repair of CCDs meeting the eligibility criteria were included. Glucose monitoring was collected at immediate, 4^th and 8^th postoperative hours on the first day and once daily on postoperative days Two and Three to assess hyperglycemia. Data including age, weight, gender, pre-operative diagnosis, type of surgery and variables such as CICU stay, duration of hospital stay and duration of mechanical ventilation were recorded.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 40.40±48.63 months. Out of 185 patients, 115 (62.2%) were male while 70 (37.8%) were female. Hyperglycemia was found to be in 182 (98.4%) patients. Out of 182 hyperglycemic patients, 53 (28.6%) had moderate hyperglycemia while 129 (69.7%) had severe hyperglycemia. Mean duration of hospital stays was 9.24±7.45, mean duration of pediatric CICU stays was 141.61±169.02 hours and mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 80.59±98.54 hours.

Conclusion

Hyperglycemia is a frequent finding in children who underwent repair of CCDs, and it is not significantly associated with duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital and CICU stay.