{"id":5160,"date":"2025-10-09T09:09:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T07:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvja.co.za\/journal\/?p=5160"},"modified":"2026-05-05T13:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:23:10","slug":"cvja-2025-033","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvja.co.za\/journal\/cvja-2025-033\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the influence of risk factors on outcomes following surgical closure of ventricular septal defects"},"content":{"rendered":"    <div id=\"article\">                                                                                                                        \r\n        <div id=\"title-container\">                                                                                                    \r\n        <div id=\"authors-title\">                                                                                                            \r\n        <!--Aurthors under Title-->                                                                                                            \r\n            \r\nGokcen Ozcifci, Umut Altug, Fatih Durak, Ayse Berna Anil, Pinar Kulluoglu, Onur Isik, Muhammet Akyuz, Tulay Demircan, Nazmi Narin                                                                                              \r\n        <\/div>        \r\n<\/div>                                                                                                                            \r\n            <div id=\"copyright\">\r\n        <strong>Copyright:<\/strong> Clinics Cardive Publishing (Pty) Ltd. publisher\r\n        of Cardiovascular Journal of Africa.<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>                                                                                                                                \r\n        <div id=\"article-abstract\">                                                                                                            \r\n            <div id=\"abstract-title\">                                                                                                        \r\n                    Abstract                                                                                                                \r\n                <\/div>                                                                                                                        \r\n                                                                                                                                \r\n            <div id=\"abstract-content\">                                                                                                        \r\n            <!--Content of Abstract Article-->                                                                                                \r\n            <!--<strong>\"Abstract titles\":<\/strong>-->                                                                                        \r\n            <!--<br\/> at the end of each section!!-->                                                                                        \r\n                                                                                                                                            \r\n        <strong>Introduction:<\/strong>                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                                    \r\nSurgical closure of ventricular septal defects remains the predominant paediatric cardiac surgical intervention. This study aims to identify risk factors influencing the duration of intensive care stay and complications following surgical correction for ventricular septal defects.                                                                                                \r\n                <br \/>                                                                                                                            \r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n        <strong>Methods:<\/strong>                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                                    \r\nPreoperative, perioperative, and postoperative data were comprehensively assessed from echocardiography reports, perfusion reports, and clinical, inpatient, and operative notes for all patients. Outcome variables included in-hospital mortality, mechanical ventilation duration (hours), paediatric intensive care unit stay (days), and overall hospital stay (days). The study presents findings from a single paediatric cardiac centre experience spanning from October 2015 to October 2018.                                                                                            \r\n                <br \/>        \r\n                \r\n                <strong>Results:<\/strong>                                                                                                    \r\nAmong the 108 patients who underwent surgical ventricular septal defect closure, younger age (p < 0.001 for PICU stay, p = 0.001 for hospital stay, and p = 0.036 for mechanical ventilation time) and lower weight (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, and p = 0.006, respectively) were identified as risk factors for prolonged paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay, extended hospital stay, and increased mechanical ventilation time. Additionally, patients with genetic syndromes showed significantly longer mechanical ventilation times (p < 0.001), PICU stays (p<0.001), and hospital stays (p = 0.002).\r\n                <br \/>\r\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        \r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n        <strong>Conclusion:<\/strong>                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                                    \r\nWhile genetic syndromes did not impact complication rates, they significantly influenced the durations of hospital and paediatric intensive care unit stays, as well as mechanical ventilation. Younger age and lower body weight emerged as risk factors for prolonged hospitalisation, extended paediatric intensive care unit stays, and prolonged mechanical ventilation. Consequently, these factors warrant consideration in the postoperative follow-up of patients with ventricular septal defects.                                                                                             \r\n                <br \/>        \r\n\r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n            <\/div>                                                                                                                            \r\n        <\/div>                                                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                        \r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n        <div id=\"keywords\">                                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                            \r\n            <strong>Keywords:<\/strong>                                                                                                        \r\n                                                                                                                                            \r\n            <strong>Ventricular septal defect, Paediatric intensive care unit, Paediatric cardiac surgery, Complications<\/strong>                                                                                                                                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n        <\/div>                                                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                                \r\n    <div id=\"publish-info\">                                                                                                                    \r\n                                                                                                                                \r\n    <strong>Submitted:<\/strong> May 15, 2024; <!--Month day, year; -->    \r\n    <strong>Accepted:<\/strong> April 1, 2025; <!--Month day, year; -->                                                                            \r\n    <strong>Published:<\/strong> September 26, 2025<!--Month day, year; -->                                                                                                                            <br \/>                                                            \r\n        <em>Cardiovasc J Afr 2025; <b>36<\/b>: 244-249<!--pg no. till pg no. \"eg. 4-7\"--><\/em>\r\n        <br \/><strong>Volume 36, Issue 3<\/strong> <br \/>                                                                            \r\n        <\/div>                                                                                                                            \r\n                                                                                                                                        \r\n    <div id=\"DOI\">                                                                                                                    \r\n            DOI Citation Reference: dx.doi.org\/10.5830\/CVJA-2025-033<!--DOI number-->                                                                \r\n        <\/div>                                                                                                                            \r\n                \r\n                <div id=\"author-affiliation\">                                                                                                \r\n                                                                                                                                        \r\n                <strong>Izmir City Hospital, Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Izmir, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nGokcen Ozcifci\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Pamukkale University Medical Faculty, Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Denizli, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nUmut Altug\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Izmir Katip Celebi University Medical Faculty, Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Izmir, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nFatih Durak<br \/>\r\nAyse Berna Anil\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Izmir Katip Celebi University Medical Faculty, Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Izmir, Turkey; Izmir Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Training and Research Hospital, Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Izmir, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nPinar Kulluoglu\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Izmir City Hospital, Department of Paediatric Heart Surgery, Izmir, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nOnur Isik\r\n\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Izmir City Hospital, Department of Paediatric Heart Surgery, Izmir, Turkey\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nMuhammet Akyuz\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Dokuz Eylul University Medical Faculty, Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Izmir, Turkey\r\n\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nTulay Demircan\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n\r\n                <strong>Izmir Katip Celebi University Medical Faculty, Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Izmir, Turkey\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/strong>    <br \/>                                                                            \r\nNazmi Narin\r\n\r\n<br \/><br \/>\r\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        \r\n\r\n                [soshsc hide=\"logged\"]\r\n                <strong>You need to be <a style=\"color: #c80c44;\" href=\"https:\/\/cvja.co.za\/journal\/member-login\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">logged in to view and download<\/a> the full text PDF version. <a style=\"color: #c80c44;\" href=\"https:\/\/cvja.co.za\/journal\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register for a free account?<\/a><\/strong> <br \/><br \/>[\/soshsc]\r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                <\/div>\r\n    \r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surgical closure of ventricular septal defects remains the predominant paediatric cardiac surgical intervention. This study aims to identify risk factors influencing the duration of intensive care stay and complications following surgical correction for ventricular septal defects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cardiovascular-topics","category-volume-36-issue-3"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Exploring the influence of risk factors on outcomes following surgical closure of ventricular septal defects - Cardiovascular Journal of Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Surgical closure of ventricular septal defects remains the predominant paediatric cardiac surgical intervention. 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