Characterization of adult patients operated for congenital heart defects in Camagüey, Cuba

Abstract

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with the objective of characterizing adult patients operated for congenital heart defects in Camagüey in the period from September 2013 to August 2016. The universe consisted of 628 patients followed up in secondary care and a sample of 100, selected by the non-probability random sampling method; the primary source of data was the spreadsheet created by the author according to the literature consulted and the secondary one, the outpatient medical records. The information was processed using the Microsoft Excel for Windows 2010 package. The variables studied were: symptoms and signs, type of congenital heart disease, electrocardiographic, ergometric and echocardiographic findings; hospital monitoring and incorporation into social life. It was concluded that about half of these patients presented symptoms and signs; being the atrial-ventricular sept defects the most frequent of the heart diseases; the enlargement of heart chambers was the most evident electrocardiographic finding; the majority of the patients had a functional capacity above 12 metabolic equivalents on the ergometric tests; the left ventricular ejection fraction on the echocardiogram was greater than 50% in three quarters of those studied; the most frequent follow-up hospital was the Pediatric Hospital of Camagüey. All the patients had received schooling and the majority had an employment relationship.