Neonatal outcomes in preterm infants with severe congenital heart disease: a national cohort analysis.

Background: Prematurity and congenital heart disease (CHD) are the leading causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Limited data are available about the outcomes of premature infants with severe CHD. Methods: We queried The National Inpatient Database using ICD-10 codes for premature patients (<37 weeks) with severe CHD from 2016 to 2020. Severe CHDs were grouped into three categories: A. left-sided lesions with impaired systemic output, B. Cyanotic CHD, and C. Shunt lesions with pulmonary overcirculation. Patients with isolated atrial or ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus were excluded. We also excluded patients with chromosomal abnormalities and major congenital anomalies. Patients' demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes were evaluated by comparing premature infants with vs. without CHD adjusting for gestational age (GA), birth weight, and gender. Results: A total of 27710 (1.5%) out of 1,798,245 premature infants had severe CHD. This included 27%, 58%, and 15% in groups A, B, and C respectively. The incidence of severe CHD was highest between 25 and 28 weeks of gestation and decreased significantly with increasing GA up to 36 weeks (p < 0.001). Premature infants with severe CHD had a significantly higher incidence of neonatal morbidities including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) [OR = 4.88 (4.51-5.27)], interventricular hemorrhage [OR = 6.22 (5.57-6.95)], periventricular leukomalacia [OR = 3.21 (2.84-3.64)] and bronchopulmonary dysplasia [OR = 8.26 (7.50-10.06) compared to preterm infants of similar GA without CHD. Shunt lesions had the highest incidence of NEC (8.5%) compared to 5.3% in cyanotic CHD and 3.7% in left-sided lesions (p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in premature infants with CHD compared to control [11.6% vs. 2.5%, p < 0.001]. Shunt lesions had significantly higher mortality (11.0%) compared to those with left-sided lesions (8.3%) and cyanotic CHD (6.4%), p < 0.001. Conclusion: Premature infants with severe CHD are at high risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Morbidity remains increased across all GA groups and in all CHD categories. This significant risk of adverse outcomes is important to acknowledge when managing this patient population and when counseling their families. Future research is needed to examine the impact of specific rather than categorized congenital heart defects on neonatal outcomes.

The effect of demographic, financial and hospital factors on the length of stay of preterm infants: a US national database study.

INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth is a leading cause for prolonged length of stay (LOS) in the hospital. In the USA, the rate of preterm birth is around 10.5%, thereby contributing substantially to the burden of hospitalization. The interaction of demographic, financial, and hospital factors with LOS of preterm infants has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of demographic, financial, and hospital factors on LOS of surviving preterm infants born at 23 0/7-36 6/7 weeks of gestational age (GA). METHODS: We utilized de-identified patient information from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) from 2016-2020. All infants with GA between 23 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks were identified. ANOVA test was used to assess LOS differences at different GA. Cochran-Armitage test was used for trend analyses. RESULTS: A total of 1,359,280 surviving premature infants were included in the study. LOS was significantly (p < 0.001) impacted by GA, ethnic group, hospital size and type, and US geographic region. LOS was not affected by sex or type of health insurance. CONCLUSION: LOS of preterm infants is significantly affected by multiple demographic factors that are potentially modifiable. These findings can remarkably help policymakers and stakeholders optimize interventions and resource allocations for preterm infants.

Survival of infants born at periviable gestation: The US national database.

Background: Substantial differences exist in the approach to resuscitating infants born at periviable gestation. Evaluation of current survival may help guide prenatal counselling and provide accurate expectations of clinical outcomes. We aimed to assess the US national survival trends in periviable infants born at gestational age (GA) ≤24 weeks. Methods: We used de-identified patient data obtained from the US Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) from 2007 to 2018. All infants with documented GA ≤24 weeks were included. The Cochran-Armitage test was used for trend analyses. Regression analyses were conducted for variables associated with survival. Findings: A total of 44,628,827 infant records were identified with 124,345 (0.28%) infants born ≤24 weeks; of those, 77,050 infants <24 weeks and 47,295 infants had completed 24 weeks. Survival rates for infants <24 weeks and with completed 24 weeks were 15.4% and 71.6%, respectively, with higher survival over the years (Z = 9.438, P<0.001 & Z = 3.30, P<0.001, respectively). Survival was lower in males compared to females (aOR = 0.96, CI: 0.93-0.99 & aOR = 0.94, CI: 0.92-0.96, respectively) and with private insurance compared to public insurance (aOR = 0.74, CI: 0.71-0.77 & aOR = 0.67, CI: 0.65-0.69, respectively). Survival was higher when birth weight was >500 g compared to ≤500 g (aOR = 4.62, CI:3.23-5.02 & aOR = 5.44, CI: 4.59-5.84, respectively). Black (aOR = 1.33, CI: 1.31-1.36 & aOR = 1.24, CI: 1.20-1.32, respectively) and Hispanic (aOR = 1.29, CI: 1.27-1.32 & aOR = 1.27, CI: 1.22-1.30, respectively) had higher survival than White. Interpretation: There is a national increase in survival over the years in infants born at periviable GA. BW >500 is associated with >4 folds higher survival compared to ≤500 g. The results of this study should be cautiously interpreted as long-term outcomes are unknown. Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.