Search

Objectives: Existing literature provides limited data about ICU characteristics and pediatric extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the associations between patient and ICU characteristics, and outcomes after E-CPR in the pediatric cardiac population., Design: Retrospective analysis of the Virtual Pediatric System database (VPS, LLC, Los Angeles, CA)., Setting: PICUs categorized as either cardiac-only versus mixed ICU cohort type., Patients: Consecutive cardiac patients less than 18 years old experiencing cardiac arrest in the ICU and resuscitated using E-CPR., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Event and time-stamp filtering identified E-CPR events. Patient, hospital, and event-related variables were aggregated for independent and multivariable mixed effects logistic regression to assess the association between ICU cohort type and survival. Among ICU admissions in the VPS database, 2010-2018, the prevalence of E-CPR was 0.07%. A total of 671 E-CPR events (650 patients) comprised the final cohort; congenital heart disease (84%) was the most common diagnosis versus acquired heart diseases. The majority of E-CPR events occurred in mixed ICUs (67%, n = 449) and in ICUs with greater than 20 licensed bed capacity (65%, n = 436). Survival to hospital discharge was 51% for the overall cohort. Independent logistic regression failed to reveal any association between survival to hospital discharge and ICU type (ICU type: cardiac ICU, odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% CI, 0.71-1.44; p = 0.95). However, multivariable logistic regression revealed an association between cardiac surgical patients and greater odds for survival (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.40-2.95; p < 0.001). Also, there was an association between ICUs with capacity greater than 20 (vs not) and lower survival odds (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43-0.96)., Conclusions: The overall prevalence of E-CPR among critically ill children with cardiac disease observed in the VPS database is low. We failed to identify an association between ICU cohort type and survival. Further investigation into organizational factors is warranted., Competing Interests: Dr. Thiagarajan’s institution received funding from the U.S. Department of Defense: Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Clinical Trial Award Number W81XWH2210301: Trial of Indication-based Transfusion of Red blood cells in Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; he received funding from the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.)

Background: Dysnatremia is a common disorder in critically ill surgical children. The study's aim is to determine the prevalence of dysnatremia and its association with outcomes after surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD)., Methods: This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of children <18 years of age undergoing surgery for CHD between January 2012 and December 2014. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between dysnatremia and outcomes during the perioperative period. A total of 1345 encounters met the inclusion criteria., Results: The prevalence of pre- and post-operative dysnatremia were 10.2% and 47.1%, respectively. Hyponatremia occurred in 19.1%, hypernatremia in 25.6%. Hypernatremia at 24, 48, and 72 h post-operative was associated with increased hospital mortality (odds ratios (OR) [95% confidence intervals (CI)] 3.08 [1.16-8.17], p = 0.024; 4.35 [1.58-12], p = 0.0045; 4.14 [1.32-12.97], p = 0.0148, respectively. Hypernatremia was associated with adverse neurological events 3.39 [1.12-10.23], p = 0.0302 at 48 h post-operative. Hyponatremia was not associated with any adverse outcome in our secondary analysis., Conclusions: Post-operative dysnatremia is a common finding in this heterogeneous cohort of pediatric cardiac-surgical patients. Hypernatremia was more prevalent than hyponatremia and was associated with adverse early post-operative outcomes., Impact: Our study has shown that dysnatremia was highly prevalent in children after congenital heart surgery with hypernatremia associated with adverse outcomes including mortality. It is important to understand fluid and sodium regulation in the post-operative period in children with congenital heart disease to better address fluid overload and associated electrolyte imbalances and acute kidney injury. While clinicians are generally very aware of the importance of hyponatremia in critically ill children, similar attention should be given to hypernatremia in this population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.)

Background: Increasing numbers of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) undergo cardiac surgical procedures in children's hospitals, yet surgical outcomes data are limited. We sought to better understand the impact of preoperative risk factors on postoperative complications and cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) length of stay (LOS)., Methods: Surgical CICU admissions for patients aged 18 years and older in the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium registry from August 2014 to January 2019 in 34 hospitals were included. Primary outcomes included prolonged LOS (defined as LOS ≥90th percentile) and major complications (cardiac arrest, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, arrhythmia requiring intervention, stroke, renal replacement therapy, infection, and reoperation/reintervention)., Results: We analyzed 1764 surgical CICU admissions. Prolonged LOS was 7 days or longer. Eighteen patients (1.0%) died, of whom 9 (0.5%) died before the LOS cutoff and were excluded from analysis. Of 1755 CICU admissions, 8.8% (n = 156) had prolonged LOS, and 23.3% (n = 413) had 1 or more major complications. Several variables, including The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 4/5 operation, 3 or more previous sternotomies, and preoperative renal dysfunction/dialysis were independent risk factors for both prolonged LOS and major complications (P < .05). Preoperative ventilation was associated with increased odds of prolonged LOS and preoperative arrhythmia with major complications., Conclusions: This analysis of postoperative ACHD care in pediatric CICUs found high complexity operations, 3 or more previous sternotomies, preoperative arrhythmias, renal dysfunction, and respiratory failure are associated with prolonged LOS and/or major complications. Future quality improvement initiatives focused on preoperative optimization and implementation of adult-specific perioperative protocols may mitigate morbidity in these patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures at children's hospitals., (Copyright © 2022 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous studies suggest that birth before 39 weeks' gestational age (GA) is associated with higher perioperative mortality and morbidity after congenital heart surgery. The optimal approach to timing of cardiac operation in premature infants remains unclear. We investigated the impact of GA at birth and corrected GA at surgery on postoperative outcomes using the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC 4 ) database., Methods: Infants undergoing selected index cardiac operations before the end of the neonatal period were included (n = 2298). GA at birth and corrected GA at the time of the index cardiac operation were used as categorical predictors and fitted as a cubic spline to assess nonlinear relationships. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the association between predictors and outcomes while adjusting for confounders., Results: Late-preterm (34-36 weeks) birth was associated with increased odds of mortality compared with full-term (39-40 weeks) birth, while early-term (37-38 weeks) birth was not associated with increased mortality. Corrected GA at surgery of 34 to 37 weeks compared with 40 to 44 weeks was associated with increased mortality. When analyzing corrected GA at surgery as a continuous predictor of outcome, odds of survival improve as patients approach 39 weeks corrected GA., Conclusions: Contrary to previous literature, we did not find an association between early-term birth and hospital mortality at PC 4 hospitals. Our analysis of the relationship between corrected GA and mortality suggests that operating closer to full-term corrected GA may improve survival., (Copyright © 2021 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a highly morbid condition among adults. Little is known about outcomes in children with ADHF. We analyzed the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium registry to determine the epidemiology, contemporary treatments, and predictors of mortality in critically ill children with ADHF., Methods: Cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) patients ≤18 years of age meeting Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium criteria for ADHF were included. ADHF was defined as systolic or diastolic dysfunction requiring continuous vasoactive or diuretic infusion, respiratory support, or mechanical circulatory support. Demographics, diagnosis, therapies, complications, and mortality are described for the cohort. Predictors of CICU mortality were identified using logistic regression., Results: Among 26 294 consecutive admissions (23 centers), 1494 (6%) met criteria for analysis. Median age was 0.93 years (interquartile range, 0.1-9.3 years). Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) comprised 57% of the cohort. Common therapies included the following: vasoactive infusions (88%), central venous catheters (86%), mechanical ventilation (59%), and high flow nasal cannula (46%). Common complications were arrhythmias (19%), cardiac arrest (10%), sepsis (7%), and acute renal failure requiring dialysis (3%). Median length of CICU stay was 7.9 days (interquartile range, 3-18 days) and the CICU readmission rate was 22%. Overall, CICU mortality was 15% although higher for patients with CHD versus non-CHD (19% versus 11%; P <0.001). Independent risk factors associated with CICU mortality included age <30 days, CHD, vasoactive infusions, ventricular tachycardia, mechanical ventilation, sepsis, pulmonary hypertension, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and cardiac arrest., Conclusions: ADHF in children is characterized by comorbidities, high mortality rates, and frequent readmission, especially among patients with CHD. Opportunities exist to determine best practices around appropriate use of mechanical support, cardiac arrest prevention, and optimal heart transplantation candidacy to improve outcomes for these patients.

Background: Central venous catheter (CVC) use is common in the management of critically ill children, especially those with congenital heart disease. CVCs are known to augment the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but data on CVC-associated DVTs in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) are limited. In this study, we aim to identify the incidence of and risk factors for CVC-related DVT in this high-risk population, as its complications are highly morbid., Materials and Methods: The PC4 database and a radiologic imaging database were retrospectively reviewed for the demographics and outcomes of patients admitted to the Texas Children's Hospital CICU requiring CVC placement, as well as the incidence of DVT and its complications., Results: Between January 2017 and December 2017, 1215 central lines were placed over 851 admissions. DVT was diagnosed in 8% of admissions with a CVC, 29% of which demonstrated thrombus in the inferior vena cava. The risk factors significantly associated with DVT included the presence of >1 line, higher total line hours, longer intubation times, and extended CICU stay. A diagnosis of low cardiac output syndrome, sepsis, central line-associated bloodstream infection, and cardiac catheterization were also significant risk factors. Interestingly, cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass appeared to be protective of clot development. DVT was a highly significant risk factor for mortality in these patients., Conclusions: CVC-related DVTs in critically ill children with congenital heart disease are associated with higher risks of morbidity and mortality, highlighting the need for well-designed studies to determine the best preventative and treatment strategies and to establish guidelines for appropriate monitoring and follow-up of these patients., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The extracardiac conduit (ECC) modification of the Fontan procedure has been theorized to reduce the risk of sinus node dysfunction and atrial arrhythmia compared with the intra-atrial lateral tunnel (ILT) Fontan. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of early and late arrhythmias in patients who underwent ECC and ILT Fontan from a similar era with long-term follow-up at a single institution. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients who underwent ECC or ILT Fontan from 1995 to 2005 at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Bradyarrhythmias (including sinus node dysfunction), tachyarrhythmias, and pacemaker burden prevalence was determined throughout early (<30 days) and late (>30 days) postoperative periods. Of 434 patients undergoing the Fontan procedure during the study period, a total of 87 and 106 patients who underwent ECC and ILT Fontan, respectively, met the inclusion criteria. There were no significant differences in risk of sinus node dysfunction or tachyarrhythmia in both early and late postoperative periods. Although the overall risk of late postoperative pacemaker therapy was lower for the ECC cohort (4.9% vs 15.7%, p=0.03), when adjusting for follow-up time, no significant difference was observed (odds ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 0.6 to 15.2, p=0.16). In conclusion, the overall prevalence of late postoperative arrhythmias observed after contemporary Fontan modifications is low. Intra-atrial reentrant tachycardia, a potentially fatal complication of the atriopulmonary Fontan operation was infrequently encountered in both ECC and ILT Fontan cohorts. Pacemaker use was higher in the ILT group, although this difference may be explained by differences in follow-up time. Despite the low prevalence of arrhythmias after contemporary Fontan modifications, ongoing surveillance is warranted as the onset of arrhythmias may emerge after longer follow-up time., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to characterize the impact of race on morbidity and mortality after hospital discharge from neonatal congenital heart surgery. A retrospective chart review examined all the neonates who underwent neonatal heart surgery from January 2005 to June 2006 at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. After risk adjustment for the type of surgery using the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1 (RACHS-1) method, the association of race with mortality after hospital discharge was assessed using Fisher's exact test for statistical analysis. A cross-sectional telephone survey of surviving patients also was conducted to examine the association of race and social factors with adverse events (admissions or reinterventions). Mortality status was known for 201 of the 217 patients screened. The mortality rate after discharge was 8 %, with a higher mortality rate for nonwhite patients (14 %) than for white patients (4 %) (p = 0.01). After risk adjustment, this effect was limited to nonwhite patients with less complex heart disease (RACHS-1 categories 1-3; 17 vs 2 %, respectively; p = 0.01). The survey completion rate was 54 %. In this cohort, race also was independently associated with adverse events among patients with less complex heart disease (RACHS-1 categories 1-3; nonwhites 53 % vs whites 25 %; p = 0.046). Among the patients with less complex heart disease, the nonwhite patients had a significantly higher risk of morbidity and mortality after hospital discharge than the white patients.

Objective: We sought to better define echocardiographic predictors of perinatal mortality in fetuses with Ebstein's anomaly (EA) or tricuspid valve dysplasia (TVD)., Method: Parameters included measured chamber size, the presence of hydrops, and Doppler recordings of the left ventricular (LV) myocardial performance index (MPI)., Results: Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2008, 21 fetuses were diagnosed with either EA (17) or TVD (4). Five fetuses were lost to follow-up, and 12 of 16 fetuses were born live (75%). Survivors were found to have smaller right atrial area index scores when compared with non-survivors (1.025 ± 0312 vs 1.502 ± 0.105, respectively, p = 0.013) and were less likely to present with hydrops (0% survivors vs 75% of non-survivors, p < 0.01). LV MPI sub-analysis revealed a shorter combined isovolemic contraction and relaxation time for non-survivors compared wth survivors (46.5 ± 8.2 ms vs 82.3 ± 21.2 ms, respectively, p = 0.004) although no difference was observed for LV ejection times or overall LV MPI between survivors and non-survivors., Conclusion: Physiologic analysis of left ventricular function via the LV Tei index and its component measurements demonstrates potentially novel insights into hemodynamic derangements and their association with outcomes in patients with EA/TVD., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)