Cannabis Teratology Explains Current Patterns of Coloradan Congenital Defects: The Contribution of Increased Cannabinoid Exposure to Rising Teratological Trends

Rising Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations in modern cannabis invites investigation of the teratological implications of prenatal cannabis exposure. Data from Colorado Responds to Children with Special Needs (CRCSN), National Survey of Drug Use and Health, and Drug Enforcement Agency was analyzed. Seven, 40, and 2 defects were rising, flat, and falling, respectively, and 10/12 summary indices rose. Atrial septal defect, spina bifida, microcephalus, Down’s syndrome, ventricular septal defect, and patent ductus arteriosus rose, and along with central nervous system, cardiovascular, genitourinary, respiratory, chromosomal, and musculoskeletal defects rose 5 to 37 times faster than the birth rate (3.3%) to generate an excess of 11 753 (22%) major anomalies. Cannabis was the only drug whose use grew from 2000 to 2014 while pain relievers, cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco did not. The correlation of cannabis use with major defects in 2014 (2019 dataset) was R = .77, P = .0011. Multiple cannabinoids were linked with summary measures of congenital anomalies and were robust to multivariate adjustment.

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Trans-catheter closure of large PDA in adult patients with Amplatzer device: case series

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951121002602 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Zahra Khajali ◽

Ata Firouzi ◽

Homa Ghaderian ◽

Maryam Aliramezany

Keyword(s):

Ventricular Septal Defect ◽

Patent Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Septal Defect ◽

Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Amplatzer Device ◽

Occluder Device ◽

Catheter Closure ◽

Patent Ductus

Abstract Ductus arteriosus is a physiological structure if not closed after birth, may lead to many complications. Today, trans-catheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus with Occluder devices is the preferred method. Surgical ligation is used only in certain cases such as large symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus in very small infants and premature babies; unfavourable structure of the duct or economic considerations. In this article, we described haemodynamic and morphological characteristics of five patients with large patent ductus arteriosus which were occluded with Amplatzer device. From 23 January, 2010 to 31 July, 2018, five patients referred to our clinic with large patent ductus arteriosus and pulmonary arterial hypertension for further evaluation. After assessing them with various diagnostic methods, we decided to close defect with ventricular septal defect Occluder device. Patients aged 21–44 years and one of them was male. Ductus closure was successfully done with ventricular septal defect Occluder device. Closure was successful for all of them but in one case, whose device was embolized to pulmonary artery after 24 hr and he underwent surgery. Trans-catheter closure of large patent ductus arteriosus in adult patients with pulmonary hypertension is feasible. Despite the fact that complications may occur even with the most experienced hands, the ‘double disk’ Amplatzer ventricular septal defect muscular Occluder could be advantageous in this setting.

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Limb ischaemia and below-knee amputation following life-saving patent ductus arteriosus stent in a critically ill infant

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s104795111400167x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 1206-1209

Author(s):

Apinya Bharmanee ◽

Srinath Gowda ◽

Harinder R. Singh

Keyword(s):

Ventricular Septal Defect ◽

Patent Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Septal Defect ◽

Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Limb Ischaemia ◽

Knee Amputation ◽

Pulmonary Flow ◽

Life Saving ◽

Acute Limb Ischaemia ◽

Patent Ductus

AbstractLimb ischaemia is a rare but catastrophic complication related to cardiac catheterisation. We report an infant weighing 3 kg with unrepaired tricuspid atresia type 1b, small patent ductus arteriosus, and ventricular septal defect presenting with cardiogenic shock owing to progressively reduced pulmonary blood flow from closing ventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus. An emergency palliative ductal stent was successfully placed with marked clinical improvement. However, acute limb ischaemia developed necessitating above-knee amputation, despite medical management and vascular surgery. The cause of limb loss in our patient was catheterisation-related vascular injury causing arterial dissection–arterial thrombosis in the presence of shock and coagulopathy. This report emphasises the complexity in managing limb ischaemia associated with coagulopathy and highlights the importance of early recognition of reduced pulmonary flow in a single ventricle patient. Timely elective placement of a surgical systemic to pulmonary shunt would prevent catastrophic clinical presentation of compromised pulmonary flow and avoid the need for an emergent life-saving intervention and its associated complications.

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