ArticleBMC cardiovascular disorders2026
Congenital heart disease in children in Hawassa, Ethiopia: a multicenter study on patterns, complications, survival, and mortality predictors.
Article in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGiven the limited data from developing countries, this study aimed to examine the patterns of congenital heart disease, associated complications, management, survival and mortality rates, and independent predictors of mortality in children. METHODOLOGY: This retrospective multicenter follow-up study was conducted at five hospitals in Hawassa, Ethiopia, from April 1 to July 1, 2025, including children seen between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2025. Patterns of congenital heart disease, complications, and management were summarized as frequencies and percentages. Mortality incidence was calculated per 1,000 person-years. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated survival, and Cox proportional hazards regression identified independent mortality predictors.
resultsA total of 1,251 children met the inclusion criteria. Acyanotic congenital heart diseases predominated (1,110; 88.7%), with Ventricular septal defect (384; 30.7%), patent ductus arteriosus (207; 16.5%), and secundum atrial septal defect (158; 12.6%) being the most common. Over a median follow-up of 5 years (IQR: 4-7), 1,043 children (83.4%) developed at least one complication, most frequently New York Heart Association (NYHA)/Modified Ross class III/IV heart failure (HF) (204; 16.3%) and isolated pulmonary hypertension (PH) (168; 13.4%). Most children were managed medically (1,210; 96.7%), 23 (1.8%) received follow-up care only, and 18 (1.4%) underwent intervention (17 surgeries and 1 catheter-based procedure). Among the 1,013 children (81.0%) with indications for surgical or catheter-based intervention, only 18 (1.4%) actually received the procedure, indicating that the vast majority of eligible children did not undergo intervention. Overall survival was 96.6%, 95.0%, 90.2%, and 84.6% at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, with a mortality incidence of 18.9 per 1,000 person-years (95% CI: 15.9-22.4). Mortality risk was higher in children with syndromic association (HR = 2.9; 95% CI: 2.0-4.3; p = 0.02), severe acute malnutrition (SAM) (HR = 3.3; 95% CI: 2.4-4.9; p < 0.001), severe biventricular congenital heart disease (HR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.7; p = 0.02), severe univentricular congenital heart disease (HR = 11.5; 95% CI: 8.2-19.4; p < 0.001), NYHA/modified Ross class III/IV HF (HR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-2.7; p = 0.03), PH (HR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-2.3; p = 0.02), and an indication for surgical or catheter-based intervention (HR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-4.1; p = 0.04).
conclusionAcyanotic congenital heart diseases, mainly ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and secundum atrial septal defect, were most common. Over three-quarters of children developed complications, including at admission. Few received the needed surgical or catheter-based interventions. Survival was low, exceeding developed-country mortality. Syndromic features, advanced HF, PH, congenital heart disease complexity, and intervention need predicted mortality, highlighting the significance of early diagnosis and care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.