Introduction: Elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with poorer outcomes in children undergoing congenital heart surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
Objective: To compare preoperative NLR levels between cyanotic and acyanotic children undergoing surgical repair with CPB.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in 60-paired children (30 with tetralogy of Fallot [TOF] and 30 with ventricular septal defect [VSD]) between January 2018 and December 2019 matched by age, weight, and gender. Preoperative NLR was measured from the last complete blood count test before the surgery. All of them had negative viral screening.
Results: The median age in VSD children was 9.5 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 5-12), weight 7 kg (IQR: 5.5-8.7), 19 (63%) was female, and NLR was 0.45 (IQR: 0.3-0.65). The median age in TOF children was 8.5 months (IQR: 5-12), weight 7.6 kg (IQR: 5.8-8.7), 16 (53%) were female, and NLR was 0.67 (IQR: 0.41-1.1). Demographic parameters did not show any statistically significant difference between groups (p > .05). Children with TOF had higher preoperative NLR compared with VSD patients (p = .004). As lower O2 saturation as higher the NLR (p = .005).
Conclusion: The preoperative level of NLR was higher in cyanotic congenital heart disease patients.
Keywords: acyanotic congenital heart disease; congenital heart disease; cyanotic congenital heart disease; inflammation; neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio; tetralogy of Fallot.
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