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Background: Radiographic diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is challenging. Deep learning models may improve accuracy by recognizing subtle imaging patterns. We hypothesized it would perform with comparable accuracy to that of senior surgical residents., Methods: This cohort study compiled 494 anteroposterior neonatal abdominal radiographs (214 images NEC, 280 other) and randomly divided them into training, validation, and test sets. Transfer learning was utilized to fine-tune a ResNet-50 deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) pre-trained on ImageNet. Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) heatmaps visualized image regions of greatest relevance to the pretrained neural network. Senior surgery residents at a single institution examined the test set. Resident and DCNN ability to identify pneumatosis on radiographic images were measured via area under the receiver operating curves (AUROC) and compared using DeLong's method., Results: The pretrained neural network achieved AUROC of 0.918 (95% CI, 0.837-0.978) with an accuracy of 87.8% with five false negative and one false positive prediction. Heatmaps confirmed appropriate image region emphasis by the pretrained neural network. Senior surgical residents had a median area under the receiver operating curve of 0.896, ranging from 0.778 (95% CI 0.615-0.941) to 0.991 (95% CI 0.971-0.999) with zero to five false negatives and one to eleven false positive predictions. The deep convolutional neural network performed comparably to each surgical resident's performance (p > 0.05 for all comparisons)., Conclusions: A deep convolutional neural network trained to recognize pneumatosis can quickly and accurately assist clinicians in promptly identifying NEC in clinical practice., Level of Evidence: III (study type: Study of Diagnostic Test, study of nonconsecutive patients without a universally applied "gold standard")., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest All authors of this work declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine whether hospital- and surgeon-level operative volumes are associated with differences in postoperative outcomes among infants undergoing elective lung surgery for a congenital lung malformation (CLM)., Summary Background Data: Infant lung surgery is a relatively uncommon procedure performed by pediatric surgeons nationwide. The relationship between surgical volume and postoperative outcomes remains unknown., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of asymptomatic infants who underwent elective lung resection of a CLM was conducted using the Pediatric Health Information System database (2016-2020). Multivariable linear and poisson regressions were performed based on annual lung resection tertiles., Results: There were 1420 infants managed by 48 hospitals and 309 primary surgeons. Institutions that performed seven or fewer CLM resections per year (56%) were associated with significantly higher postoperative complication rates compared to medium- and high-volume hospitals (low: 134 [34%], medium: 110 [21%], high: 144 [29%]; P<0.001). Surgeons who performed one or fewer CLM resections per year (82%) were associated with significantly higher complication rates compared to medium- and high-volume surgeons (low: 171 [31%], medium: 75 [26%], high: 119 [24%]; P=0.02). Multivariable analyses confirmed that low-volume hospitals were associated with higher complications (OR 1.81, CI 1.38-2.37; P<0.001), and low-volume surgeons had an increased risk of complications (overall: OR 1.37, CI 1.01-1.84; P=0.04)., Conclusions: In this cohort study of infants undergoing elective lung resection for a CLM, lower volume providers were associated with higher postoperative patient morbidity. These findings represent an opportunity to inform quality improvement initiatives on pediatric lung resection and the debate on surgical subspecialization for this unique patient population., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Trauma patients have diverse resource needs due to variable mechanisms and injury patterns. The aim of this study was to build a tool that uses only data available at time of admission to predict prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS)., Methods: Data was collected from the trauma registry at an urban level one adult trauma center and included patients from 1/1/2014 to 3/31/2019. Trauma patients with one or fewer days LOS were excluded. Single layer and deep artificial neural networks were trained to identify patients in the top quartile of LOS and optimized on area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC). The predictive performance of the model was assessed on a separate test set using binary classification measures of accuracy, precision, and error., Results: 2953 admitted trauma patients with more than one-day LOS were included in this study. They were 70% male, 60% white, and averaged 47 years-old (SD: 21). 28% were penetrating trauma. Median length of stay was 5 days (IQR 3-9). For prediction of prolonged LOS, the deep neural network achieved an AUROC of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.786-0.814) specificity was 0.95, sensitivity was 0.32, with an overall accuracy of 0.79., Conclusion: Machine learning can predict, with excellent specificity, trauma patients who will have prolonged length of stay with only physiologic and demographic data available at the time of admission. These patients may benefit from additional resources with respect to disposition planning at the time of admission.

Background: Neonatal resection is the mainstay treatment of children presenting with symptomatic congenital lung malformation (CLM) at birth. The objective of this study was to evaluate risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality after neonatal CLM resection using a large multicenter database., Study Design: Retrospective review of the Pediatric Health Information System database was performed. Children with a symptomatic CLM managed by lung resection before 30 days of age were included (2016 to 2021). Primary outcomes measures were postoperative respiratory complication and any complication, including death., Results: Of 1,791 CLM patients identified, 256 (14%) underwent neonatal resection for symptomatic disease. Pathology included 123 (48%) congenital pulmonary airway malformation, 24 (10%) bronchopulmonary sequestration, 5 (2%) congenital lobar emphysema, 16 (6%) hybrid, and 88 (34%) unclassified lesion. Preoperative mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were employed in 149 (58.2%) and 17 (6.7%) of cases, respectively. The median age at resection was 6.5 days (interquartile range 2 to 23). Postoperatively, 25 (10%) required mechanical ventilation for 48 hours or more, 3 (1%) continued ECMO, and 3 (1%) required ECMO rescue. The overall respiratory complication rate was 34% (87), rate of any complication was 51% (130), median postoperative length of stay was 20 days (interquartile range 9 to 52), and mortality rate was 14.5% (37). Birthweight was inversely correlated with complication risk (incidence rate ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.83, p = 0.006). Cardiac structural anomaly was associated with a 21-day longer postoperative length of stay (95% CI 6 to 35, p = 0.006) and 2.2 times increased risk of any complication (95% CI 1.18 to 4.02, p = 0.014)., Conclusions: In this large multicenter study, ECMO use and mortality are relatively uncommon among neonates undergoing lung resection for a symptomatic CLM. However, postoperative morbidity remains high, particularly in those with cardiac structural disease., (Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: There is some data to suggest that racial and ethnic minority infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have poorer clinical outcomes., Objective: To determine what patient- and institutional-level factors are associated with racial and ethnic differences in CDH mortality., Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter cohort study of 49 US children's hospitals using the Pediatric Health Information System database from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020. Participants were patients with CDH admitted on day of life 0 who underwent surgical repair. Patient race and ethnicity were guardian-reported vs hospital assigned as Black, Hispanic (White or Black), or White. Data were analyzed from August 2021 to March 2022., Exposures: Patient race and ethnicity: (1) White vs Black and (2) White vs Hispanic; and institutional-level diversity (as defined by the percentage of Black and Hispanic patients with CDH at each hospital): (1) 30% or less, (2) 31% to 40%, and (3) more than 40%., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were in-hospital and 60-day mortality. The study hypothesized that hospitals managing a more racially and ethnically diverse population of patients with CDH would be associated with lower mortality among Black and Hispanic infants., Results: Among 1565 infants, 188 (12%), 306 (20%), and 1071 (68%) were Black, Hispanic, and White, respectively. Compared with White infants, Black infants had significantly lower gestational ages (mean [SD], White: 37.6 [2] weeks vs Black: 36.6 [3] weeks; difference, 1 week; 95% CI for difference, 0.6-1.4; P < .001), lower birthweights (White: 3.0 [1.0] kg vs Black: 2.7 [1.0] kg; difference, 0.3 kg; 95% CI for difference, 0.2-0.4; P < .001), and higher extracorporeal life support use (White: 316 patients [30%] vs Black: 69 patients [37%]; χ21 = 3.9; P = .05). Black infants had higher 60-day (White: 99 patients [9%] vs Black: 29 patients [15%]; χ21 = 6.7; P = .01) and in-hospital (White: 133 patients [12%] vs Black: 40 patients [21%]; χ21 = 10.6; P = .001) mortality . There were no mortality differences in Hispanic patients compared with White patients. On regression analyses, institutional diversity of 31% to 40% in Black patients (hazard ratio [HR], 0.17; 95% CI, 0.04-0.78; P = .02) and diversity greater than 40% in Hispanic patients (HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15-0.89; P = .03) were associated with lower mortality without altering outcomes in White patients., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of 1565 who underwent surgical repair patients with CDH, Black infants had higher 60-day and in-hospital mortality after adjusting for disease severity. Hospitals treating a more racially and ethnically diverse patient population were associated with lower mortality in Black and Hispanic patients.

Background: The optimal timing of operative management in children with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) remains controversial. This study sought to determine early risk factors for failure of chest tube nonoperative management during the initial hospitalization in adolescents with PSP., Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for children (aged ≤18 years) admitted to a single tertiary care referral center for their first presentation of a PSP managed with at least 48 h of chest tube decompression (CTD) alone. Patient outcomes and early risk factors for operative management were analyzed by multivariate regression., Results: Of the 39 patients who met inclusion criteria, 15 (38.5%) patients failed nonoperative treatment while 24 (61.5%) patients were managed with CTD therapy alone. Progression to thoracoscopic surgery was associated with longer CTD of 8 vs 3 days and hospital length of stay of 9 vs 4 days when compared to nonoperative management (p < 0.001, both). Air leak and increase in pneumothorax size at 24 h after CTD were independently associated with progression to surgery (p = 0.007, p = 0.002). Combined, these risk factors were associated with a significant increase in recurrence (OR 6.00, 95% CI 1.11-41.11, p = 0.048). There were no significant differences between PSP management strategies regarding cumulative radiation exposure or 2 year recurrence., Conclusions: Air leak or increasing pneumothorax size within 24 h of CTD are highly correlated with failed nonoperative management during the initial hospitalization in pediatric patients with PSP. This data may be useful in the development of pediatric-specific treatment algorithms to optimally manage these patients., Level of Evidence: Treatment study, Level III., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have nothing to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Laparoscopic repair of duodenal atresia in neonates has gained popularity among some pediatric surgeons. Single-center studies suggest comparable short-term outcomes to open surgery. The purpose of this study was to utilize a large, multi-institutional pediatric dataset to examine 30-day post-operative outcomes by operative approach for newborns who underwent duodenal atresia repairs., Methods: We identified neonates aged ≤1 wk in the 2016-2018 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric -database that underwent a laparoscopic or open repair for duodenal atresia. Preoperative characteristics were compared between operative approaches. Postoperative complications, operative time, postoperative length of stay (LOS), and supplemental nutrition at discharge were assessed using multivariate regressions., Results: There were 267 neonates who met inclusion criteria. There were 233 (87%) infants who underwent open repairs and 34 (13%) who underwent laparoscopic repairs. Ten (29%) children who had laparoscopy were converted to open. After adjusting for confounding, laparoscopy was associated with an increase in operative time by 65 min (95% confidence interval 45-87 min, P < 0.001) but a five-day shorter LOS (95% confidence interval -9 to -2, P = 0.006) when compared to laparotomy. There were no significant differences in postoperative complications or supplemental nutrition at discharge., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that laparoscopic repairs of duodenal atresia are associated with shorter postoperative LOS but longer operative times when compared to open repairs. Although the conversion rate to laparotomy remained relatively high, the laparoscopic approach was associated with comparable 30-day postoperative outcomes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue (CCS), epithelioid sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma are rare tumors historically identified as high risk for lymph node metastasis. This study investigates incident nodal metastasis and associated survival in children and young adults with these subtypes., Procedure: Using the National Cancer Database (2004-2015), we created a retrospective cohort of 1303 patients (aged ≤25 years) who underwent local control therapy for CCS, epithelioid sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma. Kaplan-Meier curves estimated overall survival (OS) by subtype. Stratifying on subtype, Cox regressions assessed OS by lymph node sampling status and nodal metastasis., Results: There were 103 (7.9%) patients with CCS, 221 (17.0%) with epithelioid sarcoma, and 979 (75.1%) with synovial sarcoma. Lymph node sampling was more frequent in patients with CCS (56.3%) and epithelioid sarcoma (52.5%) versus synovial sarcoma (20.5%, p < .001). Synovial sarcoma metastasized to lymph nodes less frequently than CCS or epithelioid sarcoma (2.1% vs. 14.6% and 14.9%, p < .001). Across all subtypes, lymph node metastasis was associated with inferior OS (HR 2.02, CI 1.38-2.95, p < .001). Lymph node sampling was associated with improved OS in CCS (HR 0.35, CI: 0.15-0.78, p = .010), inferior OS in synovial sarcoma (HR 1.60, CI: 1.13-2.25, p = .007), and no statistical association with OS in epithelioid sarcoma., Conclusions: Lymph node metastasis is rare in children and young adults with synovial sarcoma. Lymph node sampling procedures were not consistently performed for patients with CCS or epithelioid sarcoma, but improved OS supports routine lymph node sampling in children and young adults with CCS., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: The impact of thoracoscopic surgery on outcomes in children with congenital lung malformations (CLM) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of operative approach on perioperative outcomes in infants undergoing lobectomy for an asymptomatic CLM., Methods: After IRB approval, a retrospective cohort study was conducted on 506 children with a CLM resected at one of eleven children's hospitals over a seven-year period. Infants undergoing elective lobectomy were identified, and covariates were balanced based on operative approach using propensity scores with full matching. Outcomes were analyzed based on intention to treat with weighted conditional regression., Results: One hundred seventy-five infants met inclusion criteria. There were 67 (38.3%) open, 89 (50.9%) thoracoscopic, and 19 (10.9%) thoracoscopic-converted-to-open lobectomies. Thoracoscopic lobectomy was associated with significantly longer operative times (26 min, 95% CI 6-47 min, p = 0.012) but used less epidural anesthesia (OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.004-0.11, p<0.001) when compared to open lobectomy. There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, chest tube duration, or length of stay., Conclusions: Thoracoscopy has become the most common operative approach for elective lobectomy in infants with asymptomatic CLMs. The non-inferiority of thoracoscopic lobectomy in postoperative outcomes supports its continued use as an alternative to open lobectomy., Level of Evidence: Treatment study, Level III., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors indicate no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Children with cancer often develop leukopenia which may impair wound healing and increase surgical complication rates. When leukopenic children with cancer develop an acute surgical condition, the optimal management strategy remains unclear. This study examined the effect of preoperative leukopenia on postoperative outcomes in children with cancer who underwent an appendectomy or cholecystectomy., Methods: We retrospectively identified cancer patients undergoing an appendectomy or cholecystectomy from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database from 2012-2018. Demographics and perioperative characteristics were compared by leukopenia status (WBC <4 vs. ≥4 × 10^3/mL). Postoperative length of stay (LOS) and 30-day composite complications, including infections, reoperations, and readmissions, were analyzed for each procedure using multivariate regression., Results: There were 227 children who underwent an appendectomy and 101 children who underwent a cholecystectomy. Leukopenia was seen in 93 (41.0%) appendectomy and 57 (56.4%) cholecystectomy cases. Nineteen (8.4%) appendectomy patients and six (5.9%) cholecystectomy patients developed a postoperative complication. The median postoperative LOS was 2 days (IQR 1-6 days) for appendectomy and 1 day (IQR 1-2.5 days) for cholecystectomy cases. After multivariate analyses, leukopenia was not associated with increased postoperative complications after an appendectomy (OR 0.55, P = 0.36) or cholecystectomy (OR 0.39, P = 0.37). There was no significant difference in postoperative LOS based on leukopenia status for children who underwent an appendectomy (P = 0.82) or cholecystectomy (P = 0.37)., Conclusion: In pediatric cancer patients, leukopenia was not associated with increased short-term postoperative complications or longer postoperative LOS after either an appendectomy or cholecystectomy. These results support that operative management can be performed safely in pediatric appendicitis and cholecystitis in leukopenic cancer patients., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)