Atrial septal defect as a model of increased pulmonary blood flow in humans: Possible influence of age and altered hemodynamics on cardiac and endothelial dysfunction

• Grant number: 11/13062-9
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal researcher: Antonio Augusto Barbosa Lopes
• Grantee: Henrique Garcia da Costa
• Home Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Atrial septal defect is a congenital cardiac septal defect associated with an important increase in pulmonary blood flow with relatively mild increase in pulmonary artery pressure in the majority of young patients. There has been scarce literature on how this condition affects biochemical parameters of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction. Understanding these mechanisms is relevant, since cardiac dysfunction and pulmonary vascular disease with endothelial dysfunction are associated with poor outcomes after repair of the communication. We therefore decided to analyse the possible impact of disease duration (patient age), size of the defect and the magnitude of pulmonary blood flow relative to the systemic flow (Doppler-echocardiography) on the physical capacity (six-minute walk test), cardiac dysfunction (plasma B-type natriuretic peptide) and endothelial dysfunction (plasma von Willebrand factor antigenic concentration) in subjects with unrepaired atrial septal defects. The study will have a transversal design, and will include individuals with atrial septal defect as single lesion only.