The Effect of Cardiac Catheterization Intervention on The Nutritional Status of Children with Acyanotic Congenital Heart Disease

Background: Intervention is required since malnutrition in children with acyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) will affect growth, development, and quality of life. Research on the impact of cardiac catheterization on the nutritional health of children with acyanotic CHD is limited, particularly in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the effect of cardiac catheterization on the nutritional status of children with acyanotic CHD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2019 and December 2021. The participants of this study were children aged 1-60 months with acyanotic CHD who had undergone cardiac catheterization. We compare the nutritional status of participants in three observation stages, including pre-intervention of catheterization and the 3rd and 6th months post-cardiac catheterization. The parameters of nutritional status are determined according to the mean of Z-scores of weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), and weight-for-length (WLZ) of participants. Results: A total of children with acyanotic CHD who underwent catheterization and 49 children were eligible participants. The mean age of children with acyanotic CHD patients who underwent catheterization was 31.51 months, and 89% of them were 1-5 years. Fifty-three percent of participants who underwent cardiac catheterization were male. The most common acyanotic CHD defects were the Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) among 55.1% of participants. Significant differences were found in WAZ, LAZ, and WLZ in the measurement of three observation stages (p<0.05). Conclusion: Interventional cardiac catheterization affects and enhances the nutritional status of children with acyanotic CHD and may be suggested as an initial therapy to further evaluate the disease.