Cardiac Biomarkers Associated With Hospital Length of Stay After Pediatric Congenital Heart Surgery

Discrepancies in pediatric OSA surgery hospital stay length across regions

OBJECTIVE

To investigate regional disparities in the length of hospital stay (LOS) for pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the United States.

METHODS

We utilized the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kid Inpatient Database (KID) for 2016, analyzing data on pediatric OSA patients aged 0-20. We compared LOS in different U.S. regions and employed statistical tests to assess significance.

RESULTS

Regional variation in LOS was observed among pediatric OSA patients. The Midwest and South regions showed longer LOS compared to the West and Northeast. Notably, standard deviations for LOS in the Midwest and South were substantial, signifying significant variability.

CONCLUSION

Our findings emphasize the importance of addressing regional differences in pediatric OSA care. Prolonged hospital stays can impose significant burdens on children and families. Identifying and mitigating factors driving these disparities is crucial for enhancing the quality and efficiency of care, ultimately striving for more equitable healthcare for pediatric OSA patients nationwide.

Association of preoperative retinal microcirculation and perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

Microcirculatory dysfunction is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery patients. This study aimed to investigate the association between preoperative retinal microcirculation evaluated using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and perioperative outcomes in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).

METHODS

This prospective, observational study was performed from May 2017 to January 2021. OCTA was used to automatically quantify the vessel density (VD) of the superficial capillary plexus, deep capillary plexus (DCP), and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) preoperatively. The primary outcome was excessive postoperative bleeding, defined as bleeding volume > 75th percentile for 24-hour postoperative chest tube output. The secondary outcome was composite adverse outcomes, including one or more operative mortalities, early postoperative complications, and prolonged length of stay. The association between retinal VD and outcomes was assessed using Poisson regression.

RESULTS

In total, 173 CHD patients who underwent cardiac surgery were included (mean age, 26 years). Among them, 43 (24.9%) and 46 (26.6%) developed excessive postoperative bleeding and composite adverse outcomes, respectively. A lower VD of DCP (odds ratio [OR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.43; P = 0.003) was independently associated with excessive postoperative bleeding, and a lower VD of RPC (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.08-3.57; P = 0.027), and DCP (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.08-4.37; P = 0.029) were independently associated with the postoperative composite adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative retinal hypoperfusion was independently associated with an increased risk of perioperative adverse outcomes in patients with CHD, suggesting that retinal microcirculation evaluation could provide valuable information about the outcomes of cardiac surgery, thereby aiding physicians in tailoring individualized treatment.

Cardiac Function and Serum Biomarkers throughout Staged Fontan Palliation: A Prospective Observational Study

Fontan patients undergo multiple cardiothoracic surgeries in childhood. Following these procedures, ventricular function is temporarily decreased, and recovers over months. This is presumably related to cardiopulmonary bypass, but this is incompletely understood. Throughout the Fontan palliation, cardiac function is also affected by volume unloading. We aimed to gain insight into the biological processes related to impaired ventricular function and recovery following Fontan palliations using a panel of biomarkers. Furthermore, we described changes in ventricular function across the Fontan palliation due to volume unloading. We performed a prospective multicenter observational study in patients undergoing partial (PCPC) or total cavo-pulmonary connection (TCPC). Patients underwent assessment-including echocardiography and blood sampling-before surgery (T1), at first follow-up (T2), and 1 year after their procedures (T3). Blood samples were analyzed using a biomarker panel (OLINK CVD-III). Ninety-two biomarkers were expressed as principal components (PC) to limit multiple statistical testing. We included 32 PCPC patients aged 7.2 [5.3-10.3] months, and 28 TCPC patients aged 2.7 [2.2-3.8] years. The single ventricular longitudinal strain (SV GLS) temporarily decreased for PCPC patients at T2 (-15.1 ± 5.6 (T1) to -13.5 ± 5.2 (T2) to -17.3 ± 4.5 (T3), p < 0.047 for all differences), but not following TCPC. The serum biomarkers were expressed as 4 PCs. PC1, including biomarkers of cell-cell adhesion, was not related to any patient characteristic. PC2, including biomarkers of superoxide anion regulation, increased at T2. PC3, including biomarkers of cardiovascular development, related to the stage of Fontan palliation. PC4 was of uncertain biological or clinical significance. No PC was found that related to ventricular performance. The SV GLS was temporarily diminished following PCPC, but not following TCPC. Several biomarkers were related to post-operative stress and adaptation to the PCPC or TCPC circulation, but none were related to the outcome.

Insights and perspectives into clinical biomarker discovery in pediatric heart failure and congenital heart disease-a narrative review

Background and Objective

Heart failure (HF) in the pediatric population is a multi-factorial process with a wide spectrum of etiologies and clinical manifestations, that are distinct from the adult HF population, with congenital heart disease (CHD) as the most common cause. CHD has high morbidity/mortality with nearly 60% developing HF during the first 12 months of life. Hence, early discovery and diagnosis of CHD in neonates is pivotal. Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an increasingly popular clinical marker in pediatric HF, however, in contrast to adult HF, it is not yet included in pediatric HF guidelines and there is no standardized reference cut-off value. We explore the current trends and prospects of biomarkers in pediatric HF, including CHD that can aid in diagnosis and management.

Methods

As a narrative review, we will analyze biomarkers with respect to diagnosis and monitoring in specific anatomical types of CHD in the pediatric population considering all English PubMed publications till June 2022.

Key Content and Findings

We present a concise description of our own experience in applying plasma BNP as a clinical biomarker in pediatric HF and CHD (tetralogy of fallot vs. ventricular septal defect) in the context of surgical correction, as well as untargeted metabolomics analyses. In the current age of Information Technology and large data sets we also explored new biomarker discovery using Text Mining of 33M manuscripts currently on PubMed.

Conclusions

(Multi) Omics studies from patient samples as well as Data Mining can be considered for the discovery of potential pediatric HF biomarkers useful in clinical care. Future research should focus on validation and defining evidence-based value limits and reference ranges for specific indications using the most up-to-date assays in parallel to commonly used studies.

Prognostic value of N-terminal pro-form B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Background

To perform an updated and comprehensive meta-analysis on the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-form B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted until September 2021 for relevant studies published in PubMed, Web of Science Database and Embase. Based on the average values, NT-proBNP concentrations were classified as high and low levels. The outcomes of interest were mortality, cardiovascular events, and other postoperative outcomes. A random-effects model was used to calculate composite risk estimates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Possible sources of heterogeneity and stability of results were analyzed using subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Results

A total of 32 studies published between 2008 and 2021 involving 7,571 participants were included. Results showed CHD patients at high NT-proBNP levels yielded an increased risk of mortality [risk ratio (RR) =1.14; 95% CI: 1.08-1.20] and cardiovascular events (RR =2.02; 95% CI: 1.26-3.24) compared with those at low NT-proBNP levels. No significant association was found between NT-proBNP and risks for other postoperative outcomes in CHD patients undergoing cardiac surgery (RR =1.73; 95% CI: 0.86-3.47). Significant heterogeneity was detected across studies regarding these risk estimates. Subgroup analysis found heterogeneity in the risk estimate of mortality was explained by geographic region, type of CHD, and assay method of NT-proBNP. Sensitivity analysis supported the robustness of results.

Conclusions

Compared with CHD patients at low NT-proBNP levels, CHD patients at high NT-proBNP levels had elevated risks of mortality and cardiovascular events. Further large-scale and well-controlled studies are needed to confirm our findings.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database: 2021 Update on Outcomes and Research

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database is a comprehensive clinical outcomes registry that captures almost all pediatric cardiac surgical operations in the United States. It is the platform for all activities of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons related to the analysis of outcomes and improvement of quality in this subspecialty. This report summarizes current aggregate national outcomes in congenital and pediatric cardiac surgery performed between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2020. The reported data on aggregate national outcomes are exemplified by an analysis of 10 prespecified benchmark operation groups performed. This report further reviews related activities in the areas of data collection and analysis, quality measurement, performance improvement, and research.

Improved Retinal Microcirculation After Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease

Background: Microcirculatory changes in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients undergoing cardiac surgery are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the changes of retinal microcirculation in CHD patients after cardiac surgery by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and explore the association between retinal microcirculation and surgical outcome.

Methods: This prospective observational study consisted of 71 CHD patients aged ≥6 years undergoing cardiac surgery including 19 cyanotic CHD (CCHD) and 52 acyanotic CHD (ACHD). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to measure vessel density (VD) and capillary density (CD) of radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) and peripapillary, VD of superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Transthoracic echocardiography was conducted to measure macrocirculation.

Results: In CCHD patients, VD and CD of RPC and peripapillary increased postoperatively (all P < 0.05). In ACHD patients, VD of peripapillary, CD of RPC and peripapillary, and RNFL thickness increased postoperatively (all P < 0.05). VD of SCP and DCP, and GCC thickness did not change significantly in CHD patients after surgery. Lower preoperative retinal microvascular density was associated with longer cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and postoperative length of stay (PLOS). No correlation was found between microcirculatory and macrohemodynamic parameters (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Improved retinal microcirculation was observed after congenital cardiac surgery and impaired preoperative retinal microvasculature was associated with prolonged CPB time and PLOS, which might provide potential information about the outcome of congenital cardiac surgery.

Association Between NT-proBNP and Prolonged Length of Stay in Hospital Among Preterm Infants Born at 28-31 Weeks' Gestation

OBJECTIVE

In the early life of preterm infants, the relationship between heart function and length of hospitalization is unclear. This study aims to examine the association between serum NT-proBNP level on the 7th day (NT-proBNP7) after birth and length of hospitalization among preterm infants.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients included 709 preterm infants born at 28-31 weeks' gestational age (GA) admitted to the NICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between December 20, 2016, to April 31, 2021. Main outcome: Late discharge (postmenstrual age at discharge was in the fourth quartile (highest) among infants born at the same GA). Exposure factor: NT-proBNP7.

RESULTS

We observed increased prevalence ratios for late discharge among the tertile of logarithm of NT-proBNP7 level (LnNT-proBNP7) which was positive. Compared with the lowest tertile, infants in the highest tertile of LnNT-proBNP7 had an 8.4-fold increased probability of late discharge, and the results were consistent for the subgroups. Next, a non-linear (S-shaped) relationship between LnNT-proBNP7 and late discharge was observed, whose turning points were 7.5 and 9. The effect sizes and the confidence intervals on the left of the first turning point, between two turning points and on the right of the second turning point, were 0.6 (95% CI, 0.2-1.6), 5.0 (95% CI, 2.4-10.6), and 1.1 (95% CI, 0.2-6.1), respectively. In addition, the prevalence of BPD, NEC, nosocomial infection, or any of them was highest in the group of LnNT-proBNP7 ≥ 9, lowest in the group of LnNT-proBNP7 < 7.5.

CONCLUSION

Higher NT-proBNP7 levels were associated with longer hospitalization. The relationship between LnNT-proBNP7 and late discharge was S-shaped. LnNT-proBNP7 was positively related with late discharge when LnNT-proBNP7 was between 7.5 and 9.