Retrospective Multicenter Study of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis in Korean Children with Congenital Heart Diseases

Kim, Ah Young; Jung, Se Yong; Choi, Jae Young; Kim, Gi Beom; Kim, Young-Hwue; Shim, Woo Sup; Kang, I-Seok; Jung, Jo Won

7.3% will die as a result of complications from RSV infection. The mortality rates associated with RSV infection in CHD have been reported significantly higher than in infants without underlying diseases. [7] [8] [9] For the past 10 years, the humanized monoclonal antibody, palivizumab, has been used as prophylaxis for serious RSV infection in high risk infants, and has resulted in a significant reduction in hospitalization rates for children <24 months of age suffering from HS-CHD. 10) Reflecting the global trend, Korean guidelines by the by Korean National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, have approved the use of palivizumab in children <1 year of age with HS-CHD since 2009 (Table 1 ). These criteria, as suggested by Feltes et al., 7) 11) have been applied in the recommendation of indicated RSV prophylaxis in many countries, but only up to 2 years of age. This is the first study to evaluate the compliance with the Korean guideline on prophylactic treatment for RSV in pediatric CHD patients. We retrospectively analyzed current data on RSV prophylaxis to determine the prevalence of morbidity in children with CHD in Korea, who developed RSV infection despite receiving prophylaxis as per the Korean guidelines.