Clinical and Echocardiographic Profile of Congenital Heart Diseases in the 0-12-Year Age Group in a Tertiary Care Medical Institute in Eastern India: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study

Background This study aimed to determine the clinical and echocardiography profile of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) among admitted children as well as patients presenting to the outpatient department of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, which is a tertiary care and apex institute located in Bihar, India. Methodology A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from January 2019 to January 2021. In total, 200 patients aged 0-12 were enrolled in the study. The study design was exploratory, with a proforma drafted to study patients with features suggestive of CHDs. All pediatric echocardiography was performed by a trained cardiologist. Records were obtained from the departmental record-keeping register, and reports were available for analyzing the data. For data collection, cardiology and pediatric department registers were reviewed and all CHD data were collected. Data analysis was done using SPSS software version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Of the 200 children with CHDs, 142 were diagnosed to have acyanotic heart disease (ACHD), while 58 had cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD). Among 200 cases of CHD, ventricular septal defect (VSD) constituted 62 cases comprising 31% of the total CHD cases and 44% of all ACHD cases. Atrial septal defect (ASD) was the second most common CHD comprising 23% of all CHD cases. Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) constituted 23 cases accounting for 11.5% of all CHD cases. It was the most common CCHD. Based on the age at the time of presentation, 90 (45%) cases were diagnosed below one year of age. Congestive heart failure (CHF) was most common in ACHD comprising 30% compared to CCHD in which only 7% of cases had CHF. This finding was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Analyzing the symptoms of different CHDs, of both ACHDs and CCHDs, the common symptoms were fast breathing (38%). Conclusions Among ACHD patients, 31% VSD and 21% ASD were noted. In CCHD, TOF was the most common with 11.5% of cases. Respiratory tract conditions were the most common comorbidities encountered. Because this is one of the first studies conducted in Bihar in the pediatric age group, it can help know the prevalence of CHDs in this region and will be useful for developing policies by stakeholders.