Perioperative determinants and outcome of cardiopulmonary arrest in children after heart surgery

Cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in pediatric patients with cardiac disease: a narrative review

Children with cardiac disease are at a higher risk of cardiac arrest as compared to healthy children. Delivering adequate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be challenging due to anatomic characteristics, risk profiles, and physiologies. We aimed to review the physiological aspects of resuscitation in different cardiac physiologies, summarize the current recommendations, provide un update of current literature, and highlight knowledge gaps to guide research efforts. We specifically reviewed current knowledge on resuscitation strategies for high-risk categories of patients including patients with single-ventricle physiology, right-sided lesions, right ventricle restrictive physiology, left-sided lesions, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and arrhythmias. Cardiac arrest occurs in about 1% of hospitalized children with cardiac disease, and in 5% of those admitted to an intensive care unit. Mortality after cardiac arrest in this population remains high, ranging from 30 to 65%. The neurologic outcome varies widely among studies, with a favorable neurologic outcome at discharge observed in 64%-95% of the survivors. Risk factors for cardiac arrest and associated mortality include younger age, lower weight, prematurity, genetic syndrome, single-ventricle physiology, arrhythmias, pulmonary arterial hypertension, comorbidities, mechanical ventilation preceding cardiac arrest, surgical complexity, higher vasoactive-inotropic score, and factors related to resources and institutional characteristics. Recent data suggest that Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation CPR (ECPR) may be a valid strategy in centers with expertise. Overall, knowledge on resuscitation strategies based on physiology remains limited, with a crucial need for further research in this field. Collaborative and interprofessional studies are highly needed to improve care and outcomes for this high-risk population. What is Known: • Children with cardiac disease are at high risk of cardiac arrest, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be challenging due to unique characteristics and different physiologies. • Mortality after cardiac arrest remains high and neurologic outcomes suboptimal. What is New: • We reviewed the unique resuscitation challenges, current knowledge, and recommendations for different cardiac physiologies. • We highlighted knowledge gaps to guide research efforts aimed to improve care and outcomes in this high-risk population.

Trends in In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Mortality Among Children With Cardiac Disease in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Data on trends in incidence and mortality for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in children with cardiac disease in the intensive care unit (ICU) are lacking. Additionally, there is limited information on factors associated with IHCA and mortality in this population.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate incidence, trends, and factors associated with IHCA and mortality in children with cardiac disease in the ICU.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CINAHL, from inception to September 2021.

STUDY SELECTION

Observational studies on IHCA in pediatric ICU patients with cardiac disease were selected (age cutoffs in studies varied from age ≤18 y to age ≤21 y).

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Quality of studies was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tools. Data on incidence, mortality, and factors associated with IHCA or mortality were extracted by 2 independent observers. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to compute pooled proportions and pooled ORs. Metaregression, adjusted for type of study and diagnostic category, was used to evaluate trends in incidence and mortality.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were incidence of IHCA and in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were proportions of patients who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and those who did not achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

RESULTS

Of the 2574 studies identified, 25 were included in the systematic review (131 724 patients) and 18 in the meta-analysis. Five percent (95% CI, 4%-6%) of children with cardiac disease in the ICU experienced IHCA. The pooled in-hospital mortality among children who experienced IHCA was 51% (95% CI, 42%-59%). Thirty-nine percent (95% CI, 29%-51%) did not achieve ROSC; in centers with ECMO, 22% (95% CI, 14%-33%) underwent ECPR, whereas 22% (95% CI, 12%-38%) were unable to be resuscitated. Both incidence of IHCA and associated in-hospital mortality decreased significantly in the last 20 years (both P for trend < .001), whereas the proportion of patients not achieving ROSC did not significantly change (P for trend = .90). Neonatal age, prematurity, comorbidities, univentricular physiology, arrhythmias, prearrest mechanical ventilation or ECMO, and higher surgical complexity were associated with increased incidence of IHCA and mortality odds.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that 5% of children with cardiac disease in the ICU experienced IHCA. Decreasing trends in IHCA incidence and mortality suggest that education on preventive interventions, use of ECMO, and post-arrest care may have been effective; however, there remains a crucial need for developing resuscitation strategies specific to children with cardiac disease.

Global mortality of children after perioperative cardiac arrest: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

Background

The body of evidence showed that perioperative cardiac arrest and mortality trends varied globally over time particularly in low and middle-income nations. However, the survival of children after cardiac arrest and its independent predictors are still uncertain and a topic of debate. This study was designed to investigate the mortality of children after a perioperative cardiac arrest based on a systematic review of published peer-reviewed literature.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed/Medline; Science direct, CINHAL, and LILACS from December 2000 to August 2021. All observational studies reporting the rate of perioperative CA among children were included. The data were extracted with two independent authors in a customized format. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa appraisal tool.

Results

A total of 397 articles were identified from different databases. Thirty-eight studies with 3.35 million participants were included. The meta-analysis revealed that the global incidence of perioperative cardiac arrest was 2.54(95% CI: 2.23 to 2.84) per 1000 anesthetics. The global incidence of perioperative mortality was 41.18 (95% CI: 35.68 to 46.68) per 1000 anesthetics.

Conclusion

The incidence of anesthesia-related pediatric cardiac arrest and mortality is persistently high in the last twenty years in low and middle-income countries. This probes an investment in continuous medical education of the perioperative staff and adhering with the international standard operating protocols for common procedures and critical situations.

Registration

This systematic review and meta-analysis is registered in the research registry (UIN: researchregistry6932).

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The incidence of anesthesia-related cardiac arrest and mortality is persistently high in low and middle-income countries.

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The review also showed that anesthesia-related cardiac arrest was very high among younger children with congenital heart disease.

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The overall perioperative cardiac arrest among children has decreased in the last 20 years in high-income countries.

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The Meta-analysis strongly recommends continuous medical education of the perioperative staff, and adherence to the international standard operating protocols.

Racial disparities in survival outcomes following pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Among adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), overall survival is lower in black patients compared to white patients. Data regarding racial differences in survival for pediatric IHCA are unknown.

METHODS

Using 2000-2017 data from the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation® registry, we identified children >24 h and <18 years of age with IHCA due to an initial pulseless rhythm. We used generalized estimation equation to examine the association of black race with survival to hospital discharge, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and favorable neurologic outcome at discharge.

RESULTS

Overall, 2940 pediatric patients (898 black, 2042 white) at 224 hospitals with IHCA were included. The mean age was 3.0 years, 57% were male and 16% had an initial shockable rhythm. Age, sex, interventions in place at the time of arrest and cardiac arrest characteristics did not differ significantly by race. The overall survival to discharge was 36.9%, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was 73%, and favorable neurologic survival was 20.8%. Although black race was associated with lower rates of ROSC compared to white patients (69.5% in blacks vs. 74.6% in whites; risk-adjusted OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.94, P = 0.016), black race was not associated with survival to discharge (34.7% in blacks vs. 37.8% in whites; risk-adjusted OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.80-1.15, P = 0.68) or favorable neurologic outcome (18.7% in blacks vs. 21.8% in whites, risk-adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.80-1.20, p = 0.85).

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to adults, we did not find evidence for racial differences in survival outcomes following IHCA among children.

Cardiac Arrest in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU: Is Medical Congenital Heart Disease a Predictor of Survival?

OBJECTIVES

Children with medical cardiac disease experience poorer survival to hospital discharge after cardiopulmonary arrest compared with children with surgical cardiac disease. Limited literature exists describing epidemiology and factors associated with mortality in this heterogeneous population. We aim to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes after cardiopulmonary arrest in medical cardiac patients.

DESIGN

We performed a retrospective review of pediatric cardiac patients who underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a tertiary care cardiac ICU. Surgical cardiac patients underwent cardiac surgery immediately prior to ICU admission. Nonsurgical cardiac patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of congenital heart disease: congenital heart disease medical or noncongenital heart disease medical. Clinical and outcome variables were collected. Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge.

SETTINGS

Texas Children's Hospital cardiac ICU.

PATIENTS

Patients admitted to Texas Children's Hospital cardiac ICU between January 2011 and December 2016.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Of 150 cardiopulmonary arrest events reviewed, 90 index events were included (46 surgical, 26 congenital heart disease medical, and 18 noncongenital heart disease medical). There was no difference in primary outcome among the three groups. The absence of an epinephrine infusion precardiopulmonary arrest was associated with increased odds of survival in the congenital heart disease medical group (p = 0.03). Noncongenital heart disease medical patients experienced pulseless ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation more frequently than congenital heart disease medical patients (p = 0.02). Congenital heart disease medical patients had trends toward longer cardiac arrest durations, higher prevalence of neurologic sequelae postcardiopulmonary arrest, and higher mortality when extracorporeal support at cardiopulmonary resuscitation was employed.

CONCLUSIONS

Although trends in first documented rhythm, neurologic sequelae, and inotropic support prior to cardiopulmonary arrest were noted between groups, no significant differences in survival after cardiac arrest were seen. Larger scale studies are needed to better describe factors associated with cardiopulmonary arrest as well as survival in heterogeneous medical cardiac populations.

Changing Risk of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Children Following Cardiac Surgery in Victoria, Australia, 2007-2016

BACKGROUND

Reported incidence of in hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) after paediatric cardiac surgery varies between 3-4% in high income countries and this risk may have changed over time. We sought to examine this trend in detail.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study of 3,781 children who underwent 4,938 cardiac surgeries between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2016 in a tertiary children's hospital. IHCA was defined as cessation of cardiac mechanical activity requiring cardiac massage for ≥1minute. Surgical complexity was categorised using risk adjusted congenital heart surgery (RACHS-1) category. Poisson regression was used to analyse trends for every two-year period.

RESULTS

There were a total of 211 (4.3%) IHCA events after surgery. These patients were younger, more likely to have had a premature birth, have a chromosomal or genetic syndrome association and have a high surgical complexity. Overall, there was a 52% reduction in IHCA rate over 10 years: reducing from 5.4 /100 surgeries in 2007-08 to 2.6/100 surgeries in 2015-16 (p-trend=<0.001). The reduction was mainly seen in low-to-moderate risk categories (RACHS-1 categories 1-4) and not in high risk categories (RACHS-1 category 5-6). Children in high risk categories were 13.6 times more likely to experience an IHCA (compared to low risk categories). Overall hospital mortality for children suffering IHCA decreased from 42.5/100 patients in 2007-08 to 11.1/100 patients in 2015-16 (p-trend=0.037).

CONCLUSIONS

The IHCA rate following cardiac surgery has more than halved over the last decade; children who experience IHCA also have lower mortality than in previous years. High risk procedures still have a substantial rate of IHCA and efforts are needed to minimise the burden further in this population.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in Pediatric Cardiac ICUs

OBJECTIVES

In-hospital cardiac arrest occurs in 2.6-6% of children with cardiac disease and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Much remains unknown about cardiac arrest in pediatric cardiac ICUs; therefore, we aimed to describe cardiac arrest epidemiology in a contemporary multicenter cardiac ICU cohort.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis within the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium clinical registry.

SETTING

Cardiac ICUs within 23 North American hospitals.

PATIENTS

All cardiac medical and surgical patients admitted from August 2014 to July 2016.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

There were 15,908 cardiac ICU encounters (6,498 medical, 9,410 surgical). 3.1% had cardiac arrest; rate was 4.8 cardiac arrest per 1,000 cardiac ICU days. Medical encounters had 50% higher rate of cardiac arrest compared with surgical encounters. Observed (unadjusted) cardiac ICU cardiac arrest prevalence varied from 1% to 5.5% among the 23 centers; cardiac arrest per 1,000 cardiac ICU days varied from 1.1 to 10.4. Over half cardiac arrest occur within 48 hours of admission. On multivariable analysis, prematurity, neonatal age, any Society of Thoracic Surgeons preoperative risk factor, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery mortality category 4, 5 had strongest association with surgical encounter cardiac arrest. In medical encounters, independent cardiac arrest risk factors were acute heart failure, prematurity, lactic acidosis greater than 3 mmol/dL, and invasive ventilation 1 hour after admission. Median cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration was 10 minutes, return of spontaneous circulation occurred in 64.5%, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 27.2%. Unadjusted survival was 53.2% in encounters with cardiac arrest versus 98.2% without. Medical encounters had lower survival after cardiac arrest (37.7%) versus surgical encounters (62.5%); Norwood patients had less than half the survival after cardiac arrest (35.6%) compared with all others. Unadjusted survival after cardiac arrest varied greatly among 23 centers.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide contemporary epidemiologic and outcome data for cardiac arrest occurring in the cardiac ICU from a multicenter clinical registry. As detailed above, we highlight high-risk patient cohorts and periods of time that may serve as targets for research and quality improvement initiatives aimed at cardiac arrest prevention.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (E-CPR) During Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest Is Associated With Improved Survival to Discharge: A Report from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation (GWTG-R) Registry

BACKGROUND

Although extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) can result in survival after failed conventional CPR (C-CPR), no large, systematic comparison of pediatric E-CPR and continued C-CPR has been reported.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Consecutive patients <18 years old with CPR events ≥10 minutes in duration reported to the Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry between January 2000 and December 2011 were identified. Hospitals were grouped by teaching status and location. Primary outcome was survival to discharge. Regression modeling was performed, conditioning on hospital groups. A secondary analysis was performed with the use of propensity score matching. Of 3756 evaluable patients, 591 (16%) received E-CPR and 3165 (84%) received C-CPR only. Survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score of 1-3 or unchanged from admission) were greater for E-CPR (40% [237 of 591] and 27% [133 of 496]) versus C-CPR patients (27% [862 of 3165] and 18% [512 of 2840]). Odds ratios (ORs) for survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome were greater for E-CPR versus C-CPR. After adjustment for covariates, patients receiving E-CPR had higher odds of survival to discharge (OR, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 2.13-3.69; P<0.001) and survival with favorable neurological outcome (OR, 2.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-3.64; P<0.001) than patients who received C-CPR. This association persisted when analyzed by propensity score-matched cohorts (OR, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.18; P<0.001; and OR, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.41; P<0.001, respectively].

CONCLUSION

For children with in-hospital CPR of ≥10 minutes duration, E-CPR was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome compared with C-CPR.

Interposed abdominal compression-cardiopulmonary resuscitation after cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVES

The management of cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery differs from the management of cardiac arrest under other circumstances. In other studies, interposed abdominal compression-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (IAC-CPR) resulted in a better outcome compared with conventional CPR. The aim of the present study was to determine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of IAC-CPR compared with conventional CPR in patients with cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery.

METHODS

Data on all cardiac surgical patients who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during the first 24 h after surgery were collected prospectively. Cardiac arrest was defined as the cessation of cardiac mechanical activity with the absence of a palpable central pulse, apnoea and unresponsiveness, including ventricular fibrillation, asystole and pulseless electrical activity. Forty patients were randomized to either conventional CPR (n = 21) or IAC-CPR (n = 19). IAC-CPR was initially performed by compressing the abdomen midway between the xiphoid and the umbilicus during the relaxation phase of chest compression. If spontaneous circulation was not restored after 10-15 min, the surgical team would immediately proceed to resternotomy. The endpoints of the study were safety, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) >5 min, survival to hospital discharge and survival for 6 months.

RESULTS

With IAC-CPR, there were more patients in terms of ROSC, survival to hospital discharge, survival for 6 months and fewer CPR-related injuries compared with patients who underwent conventional CPR.

CONCLUSIONS

IAC-CPR is feasible and safe and may be advantageous in cases of cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery.

Personnel and unit factors impacting outcome after cardiac arrest in a dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of personnel and unit factors on outcome from cardiac arrest in a dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

DESIGN

Retrospective medical record review.

SETTING

Dedicated cardiac intensive care unit at a quaternary academic children's hospital.

PATIENTS

Children and young adults who had cardiac arrest while cared for in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2008.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

One hundred two index cardiac arrests over a 3-yr period in our pediatric cardiac intensive care unit were reviewed. We defined successful resuscitation as either return of spontaneous circulation or successful cannulation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Differences in resuscitation rates were assessed across categorical systems variables using logistic regression. The rate of successful resuscitation was 84% (return of spontaneous circulation 74%, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation 10%). Survival to hospital discharge was 48% for patients who had a cardiac arrest. 11% of arrests during the week and 31% during weekends (odds ratio 3.8; 95% confidence interval 1.2-11.5) were not successfully resuscitated. Unsuccessful resuscitation was significantly more likely when the primary nurse had <1 yr of experience in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (50% <1 yr vs. 13% >1 yr; odds ratio 6.8; confidence interval 1.5-31.0). Cardiac arrest on a weekend day and <1-yr pediatric cardiac intensive care unit nursing experience were also associated with unsuccessful resuscitation in a multivariable model. Resuscitation outcomes were similar when senior intensive care unit attending physicians were on-call at the time of arrest compared with other intensive care unit staff (17% unsuccessful vs. 15%; odds ratio 1.2; confidence interval 0.4-3.7). Arrests where the attending physician was present at the onset resulted in unsuccessful resuscitation 18% of the time vs. 14% for events where the attending was not present (odds ratio 1.3; confidence interval 0.5-3.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that personnel and unit factors may impact outcome after cardiac arrest in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Weekend arrests and less experience of the primary nurse were risk factors for unsuccessful resuscitation. Neither presence at arrest onset nor experience of the attending cardiac intensivist was associated with outcome.

Outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest in children with cardiac disease: a report from Get With the Guidelines--Resuscitation

BACKGROUND

Small studies suggest that children experiencing a cardiac arrest after undergoing cardiac surgery have better outcomes than other groups of patients, but the survival outcomes and periarrest variables of cardiac and noncardiac pediatric patients have not been compared.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All cardiac arrests in patients <18 years of age were identified from Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation from 2000 to 2008. Cardiac arrests occurring in the neonatal intensive care unit were excluded. Of 3323 index cardiac arrests, 19% occurred in surgical-cardiac, 17% in medical-cardiac, and 64% in noncardiac (trauma, surgical-noncardiac, and medical-noncardiac) patients. Survival to hospital discharge was significantly higher in the surgical-cardiac group (37%) compared with the medical-cardiac group (28%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.5) and the noncardiac group (23%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-2.4). Those in the cardiac groups were younger and less likely to have preexisting noncardiac organ dysfunction, but were more likely to have ventricular arrhythmias as their first pulseless rhythm, to be monitored and hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the time of cardiac arrest, and to have extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation compared with those in the noncardiac group. There was no survival advantage for patients in the medical-cardiac group compared with those in the noncardiac group when adjusted for periarrest variables.

CONCLUSION

Children with surgical-cardiac disease have significantly better survival to hospital discharge after an in-hospital cardiac arrest compared with children with medical-cardiac disease and noncardiac disease.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: special considerations for infants and children with cardiac disease

Pulseless cardiac arrest, defined as the cessation of cardiac mechanical activity, determined by unresponsiveness, apneoa, and the absence of a palpable central pulse, accounts for around one-twentieth of admissions to paediatric intensive care units, be they medical or exclusively cardiac. Such cardiac arrest is higher in children admitted to a cardiac as opposed to a paediatric intensive care unit, but the outcome of these patients is better, with just over two-fifths surviving when treated in the cardiac intensive care unit, versus between one-sixth and one-quarter of those admitted to paediatric intensive care units. Children who receive chest compressions for bradycardia with pulses have a significantly higher rate of survival to discharge, at 60%, than do those presenting with pulseless cardiac arrest, with only 27% surviving to discharge. This suggests that early resuscitation before the patient becomes pulseless, along with early recognition and intervention, are likely to improve outcomes. Recently published reports of in-hospital cardiac arrests in children can be derived from the multi-centric National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation provided by the American Heart Association. The population is heterogeneous, but most arrests occurred in children with progressive respiratory insufficiency, and/or progressive circulatory shock. During the past 4 years at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3.1% of the average 1000 annual admissions to the cardiac intensive care unit have received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Overall survival of those receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation was 46%. Survival was better for those receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation after cardiac surgery, at 53%, compared with survival of 33% for pre-operative or non-surgical patients undergoing resuscitation. Clearly there is room for improvement in outcomes from cardiac resuscitation in children with cardiac disease. In this review, therefore, we summarize the newest developments in paediatric resuscitation, with an expanded focus upon the unique challenges and importance of anticipatory care in infants and children with cardiac disease.

Does preoperative mechanical ventilation affect outcomes in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery?

OBJECTIVE

To review, in retrospective fashion, the effect of preoperative mechanical ventilation on neonatal outcomes after cardiac surgery.

METHODS

We studied 114 newborns less than 15 days old admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit for cardiac surgery. Of the newborns, 71 (62%) were mechanically ventilated at the referring hospital before transport to our institution. Of the 71 ventilated patients, 14 were extubated and breathing spontaneously before cardiac surgery. We compared variable haemodynamics and outcomes between the 57 patients mechanically ventilated at time of cardiac surgery, and the 57 patients breathing spontaneously at this time.

RESULTS

Newborns mechanically ventilated before cardiac surgery had increased preoperative haemodynamic compromise, increased postoperative sepsis (p equal to 0.02) and mortality (p equal to 0.005) compared with those breathing spontaneously before cardiac surgery.

CONCLUSION

Newborns requiring preoperative mechanical ventilation had greater risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Heightened vigilance is warranted in this population of patients at high risk.