COVID-19 infection in patients on long-term home parenteral nutrition for chronic intestinal failure☆

Impact of COVID-19 on paediatric chronic intestinal failure: A tertiary care children's hospital experience

OBJECTIVES

Paediatric patients with intestinal failure (IF) are at risk for both gastrointestinal (GI) and systemic complications, thus depending on a functioning network of multidisciplinary care. Data on the clinical impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or the pandemic-related restrictions are limited. We aimed to analyse the clinical course of COVID-19 in children with IF, and to evaluate the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IF patients and their caregivers by analysing quality of life (QoL), health-related QoL (HRQoL) and health care.

METHODS

Children with IF presenting at our intestinal rehabilitation centre were enrolled and interviewed about test-proven COVID-19 infection. A standardised questionnaire was offered to all caregivers of IF patients and to two control groups (children with inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal healthy children).

RESULTS

Between December 2020 and November 2022, 25 out of 127 patients with IF contracted COVID-19. Forty-eight per cent had GI symptoms, 32% required additional intravenous fluids and 20% were hospitalized. Only 25% of vaccinated children showed signs of GI dysfunction, compared to 52% of unvaccinated children. Analysis of 93 questionnaires showed a negative impact on QoL and HRQoL (>66.7% and >27.8%, respectively). IF patients frequently experienced restrictions in health care, including appointments, services and supply of parenteral nutrition or medications. Caregiver burden increased significantly more often in caregivers of children with IF (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric patients with IF contracting COVID-19 have an increased risk for GI dysfunction which may be alleviated by vaccination. Children and their caregivers were highly burdened by pandemic-related restrictions and reductions in health care provision.

The Development of the International Intestinal Failure Registry and an Overview of its Results

Pediatric intestinal failure (IF) is a rare disease that represents an evolving field in pediatric gastroenterology and surgery. With only a limited number of multicenter collaborations, much of the research in pediatric IF is often confined to single-center reports with small sample sizes. This has resulted in challenges in data interpretation and left many knowledge gaps unanswered. Over the past two decades, five large multicenter collaborations, primarily from North America and Europe, have published their findings. Apart from one ongoing European adult and pediatric registry, these relatively large-scale efforts have been concluded.In 2018, the International Intestinal Failure Registry (IIFR) was initiated by the International Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplant Association to continue these efforts and answer some of the knowledge gaps in pediatric IF. The IIFR goals are to prospectively assess the natural history of children diagnosed with IF and creating a worldwide platform to facilitate benchmarking and evidence-based interventions in pediatric IF. A pilot phase involving 204 enrolled patients was initiated in 2018 to assess the feasibility of an international IF registry and refine the study protocol and data collection forms. Following the successful completion of this phase, the current phase of the IIFR was launched in 2021. As of May 2023, the registry includes 362 prospectively followed children from 26 centers worldwide. This review provides an overview of the development, structure, and challenges of the IIFR, as well as the main findings from both the pilot and current phase.