Outcomes of a Hepatitis C Screening Protocol in At-risk Adults with Prior Cardiac Surgery

Background: Symptoms associated with hepatitis C infection often do not develop until an advanced stage of liver disease. Prior to 1992, reliable testing for hepatitis C was unavailable, resulting in potential patient exposure during cardiopulmonary bypass. As the hepatitis C prevalence in our center was unknown, a screening protocol for patients who underwent surgery prior to 1992 was developed.

Methods: Patients evaluated in the Wisconsin Adult Congenital Heart Disease program who underwent surgery prior to 1992 were screened for hepatitis C as part of their initial clinical evaluation. The hepatitis C-positive patients were assessed for risk factors, level of hepatic involvement, whether they received treatment, and whether viral clearance was obtained.

Results: A total of 147 patients (53% male) underwent testing. Seven (4.8%) patients had evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection, which is higher than the Wisconsin reported prevalence of 0.3%. Six of the seven patients had elevated liver enzymes at time of diagnosis. No relationship was found between hepatitis C infection and number of surgeries, year of surgery, or age at surgery. Four patients had hepatitis C genotype 1, but none achieved viral clearance despite three having received treatment. Three had genotype 2, were treated, and had viral clearance. No hepatitis C-positive patient developed cirrhosis or required liver transplant.

Conclusion: Hepatitis C infection in patients with congenital heart disease who underwent surgical palliation prior to 1992 is common, with prevalence higher than the general population. Our data emphasize the continued importance of screening the high-risk adult congenital heart disease patients.