Abstract
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is not an unusual presentation in term babies. This challenging condition can mimic the presentation of cyanotic congenital heart disease. We present a case of a term baby with antenatal diagnosis of an exomphalos who deteriorated following delivery and was managed as PPHN and treatment was escalated. The initial echocardiographic findings were suggestive of PPHN. There was no clinical improvement after 72 h and repeat echocardiography showed TAPVC (total anomalous pulmonary venous connection). The management was reoriented and the baby was transferred to the regional cardiology centre for surgical management. We would like to emphasise that the echocardiographic findings of TAPVC can be very similar to severe PPHN. It is therefore paramount to ensure that all the pulmonary veins are seen returning to the left atrium. Finally, we should always reassess both clinically and echocardiograpically when there is not the expected clinical improvement in babies with PPHN.
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© 2016 Springer-Verlag London
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Rasiah, S.V. (2016). A Neonatal Dilemma. In: Magee, A., Till, J., Seale, A. (eds) Practical Pediatric Cardiology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4183-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4183-9_15
Publisher Name: Springer, London
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