Objective: The objective of this study is to test whether myocardial performance is impaired over the first week of age in infants with Down syndrome (DS) without congenital heart disease (CHD).
Study design: A prospective cohort study of 20 infants with DS without CHD and 17 healthy term infants comparing echocardiographic measures of left (LV) and right (RV) ventricular function and pulmonary hypertension (PH) on days 1, 2, and 5-7.
Results: Indices of PH were higher in the DS group over the study period. Infants with DS had larger RV and smaller LV dimensions. Fractional area change and RV longitudinal strain values were lower in the DS group. LV shear strain values were lower in infants with DS driven by a lack of basal rotation.
Conclusion: Infants with DS without CHD and echocardiographic evidence of PH during the early neonatal period demonstrate reduced RV systolic function with impaired LV rotational mechanics, reflective of the ventricular interdependence.