Supplemental nutrition, feeding disorders, and renourishment in pediatric heart failure through transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Tube feeds are used commonly in children listed for heart transplant; however, rates of renourishment and development of feeding disorders are not sufficiently characterized. METHODS: Retrospective review of pediatric heart transplant recipients from January 1, 2014, to January 3, 2021. Demographics, anthropometric, and nutritional data were collected from heart transplant listing through 3 years post-transplant. Renourishment rates, presence of a feeding disorder, and need for a gastric feeding tube were analyzed. Multivariable analysis was conducted to identify risks for poor nutritional outcomes. RESULTS: Of 104 patients, 35 (34%) and 36 (35%) were malnourished at heart transplant listing and transplant, respectively, persisting in 21/91 (23%) 1 year postheart transplant. Forty (38%) received tube feeds at listing, 42 (40%) at heart transplant, and 18/90 (20%) 1 year post-transplant. Rates of feeding disorders fell from 23% at transplantation to 10% 1 year post-transplant. Feeding disorders were associated with younger age at heart transplant (p < .001) and congenital heart disease (p = .03). Forty-six percent of infants required a gastric feeding tube. Renourishment occurred in 20% during listing and was associated with ventricular assist device support (p = .03) and noncalorically dense feeds (p = .03). Malnutrition at transplant was associated with inferior post-transplant survival (6/36 (17%) vs. 2/68 (3%); p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Malnourishment requiring tube feeds is common in pediatric heart transplant candidates; however, most patients who eventually survive to transplant remain malnourished at time of transplantation and 1 year later. While some children develop feeding disorders, they generally resolve by 1 year post-transplant.

Right Atrial Lines as Primary Access for Postoperative Pediatric Cardiac Patients.

To characterize the use of right atrial lines (RALs) as primary access in the postoperative care of neonatal and pediatric patients after cardiothoracic surgery and to identify risk factors associated with RAL complications. Observational retrospective cohort study in pediatric cardiac patients who underwent RAL placement in a tertiary children's hospital from January 2011 through June 2018. A total of 692 children with congenital heart disease underwent 815 RAL placements during the same or subsequent cardiothoracic surgeries during the study period. Median age and weight were 22 days (IQR 7-134) and 3.6 kg (IQR 3.1-5.3), respectively. Neonates accounted for 53.5% of patients and those with single-ventricle physiology were 35.4%. Palliation surgery (shunts, cavo-pulmonary connections, hybrid procedures, and pulmonary artery bandings) accounted for 38%. Survival to hospital discharge was 95.5%. Median RAL duration was 11 days (IQR 7-19) with a median RAL removal to hospital discharge time of 0 days (IQR 0-3). Thrombosis and migration were the most prevalent complications (1.7% each), followed by malfunction (1.4%) and infection (0.7%). Adverse events associated with complications were seen in 12 (1.4%) of these RAL placements: decrease in hemoglobin (n = 1), tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis (n = 3), pleural effusion requiring chest tube (n = 2), and need for antimicrobials (n = 6). Multivariable logistic regression showed that RAL duration (OR 1.01, p = 0.006) and palliation surgery (OR 2.38, p = 0.015) were significant and independent factors for complications. The use of RALs as primary access in postoperative pediatric cardiac patients seems to be feasible and safe. Our overall incidence of complications from prolonged use of RALs remained similar or lower to that reported with short-term use of these lines. While RAL duration and palliation surgeries seemed to be associated with complications, severity of illness could be a confounding factor. A prospective assessment of RAL complications may improve outcomes in this medically complex population.

Impact of a clinical pathway on acute kidney injury in patients undergoing heart transplant.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of a clinical pathway on the incidence and severity of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing heart transplant. METHODS: This was a 2.5-year retrospective evaluation using 3 years of historical controls within a cardiac intensive care unit in an academic children's hospital. Patients undergoing heart transplant between May 27, 2014, and April 5, 2017 (pre-pathway) and May 1, 2017, and November 30, 2019 (pathway) were included. The clinical pathway focused on supporting renal perfusion through hemodynamic management, avoiding or delaying nephrotoxic medications, and providing pharmacoprophylaxis against AKI. RESULTS: There were 57 consecutive patients included. There was an unadjusted 20% reduction in incidence of any acute kidney injury (p = .05) and a 17% reduction in Stage 2/3 acute kidney injury (p = .09). In multivariable adjusted analysis, avoidance of Stage 2/3 acute kidney injury was independently associated with the clinical pathway era (AOR -1.3 [95% CI -2.5 to -0.2]; p = .03), achieving a central venous pressure of or less than 12 mmHg (AOR -1.3 [95% CI -2.4 to -0.2]; p = .03) and mean arterial pressure above 60 mmHg (AOR -1.6 [95% CI -3.1 to -0.01]; p = .05) in the first 48 h post-transplant, and older age at transplant (AOR - 0.2 [95% CI -0.2 to -0.06]; p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: This report describes a renal protection clinical pathway associated with a reduction in perioperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing heart transplant and highlights the importance of normalizing perioperative central venous pressure and mean arterial blood pressure to support optimal renal perfusion.

Trends in the use of echocardiography in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: an analysis using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample data.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis occurs in approximately 10%-30% of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SaB). Guidelines recommend echocardiography in patients with SaB and risk factors for infective endocarditis in the absence of any obvious source of infection. Herein, we explored the trends in the use of echocardiography in patients with SaB and its relationship to outcomes using a large national database. METHOD: All patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of SaB were identified using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2001 to 2014. Procedure code 88.72 was used to identify echocardiography. Logistic regression models were estimated to identify the year-over-year trends in echocardiogram, predictors of use, and association with mortality. RESULTS: From 2001 to 2014, there were 668 423 hospitalizations with SaB diagnosis and 86 387 (12.9%) had echocardiogram. The rate of echocardiography increased from 10.7% in 2001 to 15.2% in 2014 (ptrend  < 0.001). Major predictors of echocardiogram usage were younger age, male gender, presence of sepsis, valvular or congenital heart disease, prosthetic heart valve (PHV), cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED), hemodialysis, and drug abuse. The adjusted rates of echocardiography increased from approximately 10% to 15% in hospitalizations without risk factors for IE while for high-risk groups like PHV and CIED it remained constant at 30% and 19%, respectively. Echocardiography was associated with 31% lower odds of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: The increase in echocardiography rate was largely attributable to increased use in those without risk factors while usage in those with PHV and CIED remained much lower than expected. Echocardiography use was associated with lower risk-adjusted mortality. These findings require further study and confirmation.

Intraoperative and Postoperative Hemodynamic Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common after pediatric heart transplantation (HT) and is associated with inferior patient outcomes. Hemodynamic risk factors for pediatric heart transplant recipients who experience AKI are not well described. We performed a retrospective review of 99 pediatric heart transplant patients at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, in which clinical and demographic characteristics, intraoperative perfusion data, and hemodynamic measurements in the first 48 postoperative hours were analyzed as risk factors for severe AKI (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes [KDIGO] stage ≥ 2). Univariate analysis was conducted using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, as appropriate. Multivariable analysis was conducted using logistic regression. Thirty-five patients (35%) experienced severe AKI which was associated with lower intraoperative cardiac index ( p = 0.001), higher hematocrit ( p < 0.001), lower body temperature ( p < 0.001), lower renal near-infrared spectroscopy ( p = 0.001), lower postoperative mean arterial blood pressure (MAP: p = 0.001), and higher central venous pressure (CVP; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, postoperative CVP >12 mm Hg (odds ratio [OR] = 4.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.48-12.3, p = 0.007) and MAP <65 mm Hg (OR = 4.9; 95% CI: 1.07-22.5, p = 0.04) were associated with early severe AKI. Children with severe AKI experienced longer ventilator, intensive care, and posttransplant hospital days and inferior survival ( p = 0.01). Lower MAP and higher CVP are associated with severe AKI in pediatric HT recipients. Patients, who experienced AKI, experienced increased intensive care unit (ICU) morbidity and inferior survival. These data may guide the development of perioperative renal protective management strategies to reduce AKI incidence and improve patient outcomes.

Identifying an appropriate endpoint for cryoablation in children with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: Is residual slow pathway conduction associated with recurrence?

BACKGROUND: Cryoablation is increasingly used to treat atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) due to its safety profile. However, cryoablation may have higher recurrence than radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and the optimal procedural endpoint remains undefined. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the association of cryoablation procedural endpoints with postprocedural AVNRT recurrence. METHODS: We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of pediatric patients following successful first-time cryoablation for AVNRT between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2019. Preablation inducibility of AVNRT was recorded. Procedural endpoints, including slow pathway (SP) conduction (presence of jump or echo beats) with and without isoproterenol, were identified. Recurrence was established from clinical notes and/or direct patient contact. RESULTS: Of 256 patients, 147 (57%) were assessed on isoproterenol precryoablation, and 171 (47%) were assessed on isoproterenol postcryoablation. Mean cryolesion time was 2586 ± 1434 seconds. Following ablation, 104 (41%) had some evidence of residual SP conduction. With median follow-up time of 1.9 [0.7-3.7] years, recurrence occurred in 14 patients (5%). Complete elimination of SP conduction (with and without isoproterenol) had a hazard ratio for recurrence of 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42-3.8; P = .68) on univariate analysis and 1.39 (95% CI 0.36-5.4; P = .63) on multivariate analysis (including demographics, ablation time, 8-mm cryocatheter, and baseline inducibility). CONCLUSION: The observed AVNRT recurrence rate after cryoablation was comparable to that of RFA. The presence of residual SP conduction was not associated with recurrence. This suggests that jump or single echo beat may be an acceptable endpoint in AVNRT cryoablation.