Five-year Experience With Arterial Switch Operation in the First Hours of Life

Association Between Preoperative Factors and In-hospital Mortality in Neonates After Cardiac Surgery in China

Background: Little is known about preoperative factors affecting cardiac surgery outcomes of neonates in China. We sought to examine the association between characteristics of neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) and early postoperative outcomes after cardiac repair in a tertiary care paediatric hospital. Methods: A single-centre retrospective cohort study of neonates who underwent cardiac surgery between January 2006 and December 2019 was performed. Demographic, institutional, and surgical characteristics of neonates were examined and their association with in-hospital mortality was analysed using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: During the study period, we analysed the outcomes of 1,078 neonates. In-hospital mortality decreased to 13.8% in the era 2017-2019. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 16.3%. Normal weight at surgery [odds ratio (OR), 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47-0.85; P = 0.003] was associated with lower mortality risk. Poor health status (emergent: OR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.96-4.94; P < 0.001; elective: OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.11-2.40; P = 0.013), higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) categories (STAT 5 category: OR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.04-6.43; P = 0.042), and limited individual surgeon experience (surgeon with 5-10 operations per year: OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.06-1.95; P = 0.021) were associated with higher odds of early death. Conclusion: In-hospital mortality after neonatal cardiac surgery remained high in our centre over the past 10 years. Some preoperative aspects, including low-weight at surgery, poor health status, increased surgical complexity, and limited surgeon experience were significantly associated with higher mortality. Based on the observed associations, the necessary practises to be modified, especially in preoperative care, should be identified and assessed in future research.

Association Between Variation in Preoperative Care Before Arterial Switch Operation and Outcomes in Patients With Transposition of the Great Arteries

BACKGROUND

The arterial switch operation (ASO) is the gold standard operative correction of neonates with transposition of the great arteries and intact ventricular septum, with excellent operative survival. The associations between patient and surgeon characteristics and outcomes are well understood, but the associations between variation in preoperative care and outcomes are less well studied.

METHODS

A multicenter retrospective cohort study of infants undergoing neonatal ASO between January 2010 and September 2015 at hospitals contributing data to the Pediatric Health Information Systems database was performed. The association between preoperative care (timing of ASO, preoperative use of balloon atrial septostomy, prostaglandin infusion, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive agents) and operative outcomes (mortality, length of stay, and cost) was studied with multivariable mixed-effects models.

RESULTS

Over the study period, 2159 neonates at 40 hospitals were evaluated. Perioperative mortality was 2.8%. Between hospitals, the use of adjuvant therapies and timing of ASO varied broadly. At the subject level, older age at ASO was associated with higher mortality risk (age >6 days: odds ratio, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.11-3.26; P=0.02), cost, and length of stay. Receipt of a balloon atrial septostomy was associated with lower mortality risk (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.17-0.59; P<0.001), cost, and length of stay. Later hospital median age at ASO was associated with higher odds of mortality (odds ratio, 1.15 per day; 95% CI, 1.02-1.29; P=0.03), longer length of stay ( P<0.004), and higher cost ( P<0.001). Other hospital factors were not independently associated with the outcomes of interest.

CONCLUSIONS

There was significant variation in preoperative care between hospitals. Some potentially modifiable aspects of perioperative care (timing of ASO and septostomy) were significantly associated with mortality, length of stay, and cost. Further research on the perioperative care of neonates is necessary to determine whether modifying practice on the basis of the observed associations translates into improved outcomes.

Surgical Age and Morbidity After Arterial Switch for Transposition of the Great Arteries

BACKGROUND

Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a complex congenital heart disease that requires early diagnosis as well as advanced surgical repair and postoperative support. This study sought to investigate the impact of surgical timing on early postoperative morbidity.

METHODS

This study reviewed all patients with TGA repaired at a single institution (Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden) by arterial switch operation (ASO) between June 2001 and June 2017. Major postoperative morbidity (MPM) and death within 30 days after ASOs were documented. Patients with double-outlet right ventricle, chromosomal abnormalities, and noncardiac diseases were excluded. MPM was defined as the presence of at least 1 of the following: delayed sternum closure, reoperation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation after extubation, peritoneal dialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and readmission.

RESULTS

A total of 241 patients were included, with medians for birth weight, gestational week, and age at surgery of 3.5 kg, 39 weeks, and 5 days, respectively. MPM was encountered in 32.3% of patients. Prematurity (P = .001) and need for aortic arch repair at the time of ASO (P = .04) were associated with a significant increase in MPM. Non-A coronary anatomy, associated ventricular septal defect requiring surgical closure, and fetal diagnosis of TGA had no significant impact on MPM (P = .35, .08, and .21, respectively). There was no significant difference in MPM among the surgical groups (P = .49).

CONCLUSIONS

Early complications after ASO do occur and are mostly associated with prematurity and the need for aortic arch repair. Timing of surgical repair does not seem to influence the rate of these complications.

The Use of Umbilical Cord Blood for Autologous Transfusion in Neonatal Open Heart Surgery

In the last few decades, the use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) has received increasing attention, not only as a source of stem cells, but also as a transfusion product for the treatment of anemia in the neonatal and even the adult population. This review focuses on data reports and collection efforts related to the autologous transfusion of UCB in full-term neonates with prenatally diagnosed critical congenital heart defects. This review summarizes different aspects of UCB transfusion, including indications and contraindications; the collection procedure; storage timing; and special properties of one of its constituents, fetal hemoglobin, in the setting of hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.