Cardiovascular Diseases

Adverse events in childhood have a lifelong impact. A new study provides more evidence of negative cardiovascular outcomes.

The imaging studies shown are from 2 children with cancer who underwent placement of 9.6 French left subclavian central venous catheters (CVCs) to facilitate treatment. Fracture of the catheters with subsequent embolization of the distal fragment to the pulmonary arteries was noted at about 18 months after placement. Findings suggestive of impending fracture were missed in previous radiographs. In both cases, an interventional radiologist removed the fragment via percutaneous catheterization of the right femoral vein.

An otherwise healthy female infant presented at birth with a lesion on the left side of the face that involved the frontotemporal scalp, periocular area, nose, and upper lip (A). She was born at term via spontaneous vaginal delivery after an uncomplicated gestation. The initial clinical impression was that of a port-wine stain associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

A 2-year-old girl was seen by her pediatrician because of a 3-day history of runny nose, cough, congestion, and low-grade fevers. A viral upper respiratory tract infection was diagnosed and supportive care was recommended. The child returned 2 days later with persistent cough, mild tachypnea, and an episode of vomiting. The cough and tachypnea prompted the pediatrician to order a chest film, which revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette.

Chest pain in children evokes anxiety in patients and their parents--and prompts frequent visits to the pediatrician's office, urgent care facility, or emergency department (ED). In a prospective study, Selbst and colleagues reported that chest pain accounted for 6 in 1000 visits to an urban pediatric ED.