[Perioperative safety of Tibetan children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery and anesthesia in low-altitude area].

To observe the clinical parameters and short-term prognosis of Tibetan high-altitude area children with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery and anaesthesia in low-altitude area, and to investigate the perioperative safety of the treatment.
 Methods: From January, 2016 to December, 2016, 14 children with congenital heart disease who underwent surgery were assigned into 2 groups (n=7 each): the high-altitude area group (X group, children from Tibetan Autonomous Region) and the low-altitude area group (H group, children from Hunan Province). Echocardiography data, perioperative hemodynamic changes, postoperative recovery, complication and perioperative serum N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were recorded.
 Results: There were no significant differences in cardiac structure and function between the 2 groups, while the incidence of pulmonary hypertension in the X group was significantly higher than that in the H group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in perioperative hemodynamics between the 2 groups (P>0.05), while the duration in ICU in the X group was longer than that in the H group and the serum NT-proBNP level in the X group was higher than that in the H group (P<0.05).
 Conclusion: For children with congenital heart disease in Tibetan high-altitude area, undergoing surgery in low-altitude area contributes to a steady perioperative hemodynamics and helps to increase the perioperative safety. There may be a higher risk of postoperative cardiac dysfunction in Tibetan children than that in low-altitude area.