Peri- and neonatal factors influencing mortality and morbidity 2 years after esophageal atresia primary repair: a single center retrospective study.

Long-term digestive, respiratory, and neurological morbidity is significant in children who have undergone surgery for esophageal atresia (EA), especially after staged repair for long-gap EA. Risk factors for morbidity after primary repair (non-long-gap populations) have been less documented. We investigated peri- and neonatal factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in children 2 years after primary esophageal anastomosis. This was a single-center retrospective study, based on neonatal, surgical, and pediatric records of children born between December 1, 2002, and December 31, 2018, and followed up to age 2 years. The primary endpoint was unfavorable outcome at 2 years of age, defined by death or survival with severe respiratory, digestive, or neurologic morbidity. Univariate analyses followed by logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the peri- and neonatal risk factors of unfavorable outcomes among survivors at discharge. A total of 150 neonates were included (mean birth weight 2520 ± 718 g, associated malformations 61%); at age 2, 45 (30%) had one or more severe morbidities and 11 had died during the neonatal stay and 2 after discharge (8.7% deaths). In multivariate analyses of the 139 survivors at discharge, duration of ventilatory support (invasive and non-invasive) for more than 8 days (OR 3.74; CI95% [1.68-8.60]; p = 0.001) and achievement of full oral feeding before hospital discharge (OR 0.20; CI95% [0.06-0.56]; p = 0.003) were independently associated with adverse outcome after adjustment for sex, preterm birth, associated heart defect, any surgical complication, and the occurrence of more than one nosocomial infections during the neonatal stay. CONCLUSIONS: Post-operative ventilation and feeding management strategies may represent an opportunity for quality-of-care improvement to positively impact long-term outcomes after primary esophageal atresia repair. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Children operated on for esophageal atresia experience long-term digestive, respiratory, and neurologic morbidity, especially after multiple-stage esophageal repair. • Exclusive oral feeding at discharge is associated with a decreased risk of medical complications in the first years of life, in studies including all types of esophageal atresia repair. Outcomes of children after primary repair (non-long gap populations) have been less documented. WHAT IS NEW: • In our retrospective cohort of children with one-stage esophageal atresia repair, ventilatory support for more than 8 days and inability to achieve full oral feeding before hospital discharge in the neonatal period were independently associated with adverse digestive, respiratory, and neurologic outcomes at 2 years in survivors. • Both these factors are potentially modifiable, representing an opportunity for quality-of-care improvement to positively impact long-term outcomes. These results might also help identify children at risk of unfavorable evolution, to customize a multi-disciplinary follow-up program.

Parental presence during pediatric retrieval: the caregiver's perspective.

The presence of family at the bedside of critically ill children is recommended, as part of "family-centered care." The study aimed to understand if such recommendation was applied by our neonatal and pediatric retrieval team and the second aim was their perception of parental presence. We first conducted a 6-month monocentric prospective observational study where the transport teams had to rate parental presence after each retrieval. A second survey was filled out by all team members, to explore their perception of parental presence in a general manner, without referring to a specific transport. Three hundred seventeen questionnaires from the prospective survey were returned, with parents being present in the ambulance for 47% of retrievals. There was a significant difference in parental accompaniment between newborns (< 24 h) and older children. The parental presence was rated as neutral or positive for 99% of transportation, whereas approximately » of the crew feared "a priori" parental presence during transport in the second survey.Conclusion: This study suggests at least one parent was present at almost half of the retrievals conducted in our sample during the study period. Very few negative experiences were reported in the prospective study by the caregivers who allowed parental presence. What is Known: •The concept of family-centered care is an approach that recognizes the importance of family engagement and involvement and encourages collaboration between families and healthcare professionals. •Parents wish to accompany their child. What is New: •The perception of parental presence, by transport team members, was neutral or positive in 99% of retrievals during the study. •Newborns' parents were less present during retrieval than older children's parents.