Factors associated with ischemic stroke in children and adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract

Objective: to verify the factors associated with ischemic stroke in children and adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot. Method: a cross-sectional study, carried out with analysis of electronic medical records of children and adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot followed up in an outpatient clinic specialized in pediatric cardiology in northeastern Brazil. The data was processed in SPSS 21.0. Chi-square and/or Fisher's exact test were used for association measures (p≤0.05). Results: of the 104 electronic medical records analyzed, ischemic stroke in the bivariate analysis was associated with hypothyroidism, thrombophilia, polycythemia, endocarditis, cardiac arrest, acute renal failure and heart failure. In the final multivariate analysis model, thrombophilia (p=0.011), polycythemia (p<0.001) and cardiac arrest (p=0.005) were predictors of ischemic stroke. Conclusion: thrombophilia, polycythemia, and cardiac arrest were associated with ischemic stroke in children and adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot.