Outcomes of a hepatitis C screening protocol in at-risk adults with prior cardiac surgery. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2014 Oct;5(4):503-6
Date
10/18/2014Pubmed ID
25324245DOI
10.1177/2150135114547587Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84925884810 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 13 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Symptoms associated with hepatitis C infection often do not develop until an advanced stage of liver disease. Prior to 1992, reliable testing for hepatitis C was unavailable, resulting in potential patient exposure during cardiopulmonary bypass. As the hepatitis C prevalence in our center was unknown, a screening protocol for patients who underwent surgery prior to 1992 was developed.
METHODS: Patients evaluated in the Wisconsin Adult Congenital Heart Disease program who underwent surgery prior to 1992 were screened for hepatitis C as part of their initial clinical evaluation. The hepatitis C-positive patients were assessed for risk factors, level of hepatic involvement, whether they received treatment, and whether viral clearance was obtained.
RESULTS: A total of 147 patients (53% male) underwent testing. Seven (4.8%) patients had evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection, which is higher than the Wisconsin reported prevalence of 0.3%. Six of the seven patients had elevated liver enzymes at time of diagnosis. No relationship was found between hepatitis C infection and number of surgeries, year of surgery, or age at surgery. Four patients had hepatitis C genotype 1, but none achieved viral clearance despite three having received treatment. Three had genotype 2, were treated, and had viral clearance. No hepatitis C-positive patient developed cirrhosis or required liver transplant.
CONCLUSION: Hepatitis C infection in patients with congenital heart disease who underwent surgical palliation prior to 1992 is common, with prevalence higher than the general population. Our data emphasize the continued importance of screening the high-risk adult congenital heart disease patients.
Author List
Cox DA, Ginde S, Tweddell JS, Earing MGAuthor
Salil Ginde MD, MPH Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultCardiac Surgical Procedures
Clinical Protocols
Female
Heart Defects, Congenital
Hepatitis C
Humans
Male
Mass Screening
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Transfusion Reaction
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
