Morbidity During Adult Congenital Heart Surgery Admissions.

The frequency of complications during Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) surgery admissions and their association to patient outcome is not well known. Our study objectives are to (1) define the frequency of complications during ACHD surgery admissions, (2) identify their risk factors, and (3) explore their association with death and resource use. We identified ACHD surgery admissions ages 18 to 49 during the years 2005-2009 from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Complications were defined according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Short List of Complications for congenital heart surgery. We identified 16,841 ACHD surgery admissions, of which 46.9% had at least one complication. Cardiac (19.4%), respiratory (18.2%), infectious (14.1%), and acute kidney injury (6.8%) were the most common. Admissions with a complication had a longer length of stay (10 days vs. 5 days; p < 0.001), increased charges ($139,522 vs. $84,672; p < 0.001), and higher mortality (4.6% vs. 0.9%; p < 0.001). Adjusted risk factors for complications included non-White race (AOR 1.17, p = 0.003), government insurance AOR 1.39, high surgical complexity RACHS-1 category 3 + AOR 1.81, non-elective admission OR 2.18, chronic kidney disease AOR 2.79, chronic liver disease AOR 2.47, and CHF AOR 1.40; all p < 0.001. Complications were independently associated with death AOR 2.49, p < 0.001. Complications occur frequently during ACHD surgery admissions and are associated with increased resource use and are a risk factor for death. Identification of preventable morbidity may improve the outcomes of these complex patients.

Readmissions Following Congenital Heart Surgery in Infants and Children.

Thirty-day readmission after congenital heart surgery (CHS) is an important outcome given the vulnerability of pediatric patients. We hypothesized that readmissions after pediatric CHS are common and identifiable risk factors exist. We obtained State Inpatient Databases for Washington, New York, Florida, and California and selected CHS admissions age < 19 years. The main outcome was readmission defined as non-elective hospitalization < 31 days of discharge from index CHS admission. In multivariable analyses using generalized estimating equations, we examined associations of patient-level characteristics (age, sex, race, household income, insurance status, genetic syndromes, co-morbidities, RACHS-1 surgical risk category and complication) and admission characteristics [weekend admission, urgent/emergent admission, and high resource use (HRU)] with 30-day pediatric readmission after adjusting for case mix. Among 8585 index admissions we identified 967 readmissions (11.3%). Median length of stay for readmissions was 5 days, median total charge of $31,973, and mortality rate 1.8%. Among readmissions, 1.7% underwent another CHS of which 44% were HRU, complication rate 88% and mortality 6.25%. In multivariable analysis, age 1 month-1 year AOR 1.3 p = 0.01; Hispanic ethnicity AOR 1.2 p = 0.03; government-insurance AOR 1.3 p = 0.01; RACHS-1 3 complexity AOR 2.4 p < 0.001; RACHS-1 4 + complexity 2.0 p = 0.001; HRU AOR 1.4 p = 0.02; complications AOR 1.1 p = 0.04; and emergent index admission AOR 2.0 p < 0.001 were risk factors for readmission. Over 11% of pediatric CHS admissions result in an unplanned readmission. Hispanic ethnicity, government insurance, HRU admissions, higher case complexity, complications, and emergent index admission are risk factors for readmission.

Congenital Heart Surgical Admissions in Patients with Trisomy 13 and 18: Frequency, Morbidity, and Mortality.

Congenital heart defects are common among patients with trisomy 13 and 18; surgical repair has been controversial and rarely studied. We aimed to assess the frequency of cardiac surgery among admissions with trisomy 13 and 18, and evaluate their associations with resource use, complications, and mortality compared to admissions without these diagnoses. We evaluated congenital heart surgery admissions of ages < 18 years in the 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009 Kids' Inpatient Database. Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined the adjusted association of trisomy 13 and 18 on resource use, complications, and inpatient death following congenital heart surgery. Among the 73,107 congenital heart surgery admissions, trisomy 13 represented 0.03% (n = 22) and trisomy 18 represented 0.08% (n = 58). Trisomy 13 and 18 admissions were longer; trisomy 13: 27 days vs. 8 days, p = 0.003; trisomy 18: 16 days vs. 8 days, p = 0.001. Hospital charges were higher for trisomy 13 and 18 admissions; trisomy 13: $160,890 vs. $87,007, p = 0.010; trisomy 18: $160,616 vs. $86,999, p < 0.001. Trisomy 18 had a higher complication rate: 52% vs. 34%, p < 0.006. For all cardiac surgery admissions, mortality was 4.5%; trisomy 13: 14% and trisomy 18: 12%. In multivariate analysis, trisomy 18 was an independent predictor of death: OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.35-12.82, p = 0.013. Patients with trisomy 13 and 18 represent 0.11% of pediatric congenital heart surgery admissions. These patients have a 2- to 3.4-fold longer hospital stay and double hospital charges. Patients with trisomy 18 have more complications and four times greater adjusted odds for inpatient death.

Application of the Pediatric Appropriate Use Criteria for Chest Pain.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the subgroup of outpatient pediatric patients presenting with chest pain and to determine the effectiveness of published pediatric appropriate use criteria (PAUC) to detect pathology. STUDY DESIGN: The Pediatric Appropriate Use of Echocardiography study evaluated the use and yield of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before and after PAUC release. Data were reviewed on patients ?18 years of age who underwent TTE for chest pain. Indications were classified as appropriate (A), may be appropriate (M), and rarely appropriate (R) based on PAUC ratings, and findings were normal, incidental, or abnormal. RESULTS: Chest pain was the primary indication in 772 of 4562 outpatient TTE studies (17%) (median age 14 years, IQR 10-16) ordered during the study period: 458 of 772 before (59%) and 314 of 772 after (41 %) the release of PAUC with no change in appropriateness. In A indications (n?=?654), 642 (98%) were normal, 5 (1%) had incidental findings, and 7 (1%) were abnormal. A and M detected 100% of all abnormal findings (A: n?=?7; M: n?=?6; R: n?=?0), with an association between ratings and findings (P?<.001). There was no association between R rating and any pathology. CONCLUSIONS: There was no change in ordering patterns with publication of the PAUC. Despite the high rate of TTEs ordered for indications rated A, most studies were normal. Studies that detected pathology were performed for indications rated A or M, but not R. This study supports PAUC as a useful tool in pediatric chest pain evaluation that may subsequently improve the use of TTE.

Application of pediatric appropriate use criteria for initial outpatient evaluation of syncope.

BACKGROUND: Syncope is a common reason for outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). We studied the applicability of pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) on initial outpatient evaluation of children (≤18 years) with syncope. METHODS: Data were obtained before (Phase I, April-September 2014) and after (Phase II, January-April 2015) the release of the AUC document from six participating pediatric cardiology centers. Site investigators determined the indication for TTE and assigned appropriateness rating based on the AUC document: Appropriate (A), May Be Appropriate (M), Rarely Appropriate (R), or "unclassifiable" (U) if it did not fit any scenario in the AUC document. RESULTS: Of the total 4562 TTEs, 310 (6.8%) were performed for syncope: 174/2655 (6.6%) Phase I and 136/1907 (7.1%) Phase II, P=.44. Overall, 168 (50.5%) were for indications rated A, 63 (18.9%) for M, 79 (23.7%) for R, and 23 (6.9%) for U. Release of AUC did not change the appropriateness of TTEs [A=51.6% vs 49.0%, P=.63, R=20.2% vs 28.3%, P=.09]. Overall syncope-related R indications formed 15.7% of R indications for all the echocardiograms performed in the entire Pediatric Appropriate Use (PAUSE) study (11.9% Phase I and 22.4% Phase II, P=.002). TTEs were normal in majority of the patients except 7 that had incidental findings. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, syncope is a common reason for indications rated R and release of the AUC document did not improve appropriate utilization of TTE in syncope. Targeted educational interventions are needed to reduce unnecessary TTEs in children with syncope.

Diagnostic errors in pediatric echocardiography: development of taxonomy and identification of risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased interest in complications within pediatric cardiology, the domain of imaging-related diagnostic errors has received little attention. We developed a new taxonomy for diagnostic errors within pediatric echocardiography that categorizes errors by severity, preventability, and primary contributor. Our objectives were to examine its findings when applied to diagnostic error cases and to identify risk factors for preventable or possibly preventable diagnostic errors. METHODS AND RESULTS: Diagnostic errors were identified at a high-volume academic pediatric cardiac center from December 2004 to August 2007. Demographic, clinical, and situational variables were collected from these cases and controls. During the study period, approximately 50,660 echocardiograms were performed. Among the 87 diagnostic error cases identified, 70% affected clinical management or the patient was at risk of or experienced an adverse event. One third of the errors were preventable and 46% were possibly preventable; 69% of preventable errors were of moderate severity or greater. Univariate analysis demonstrated that preventable or possibly preventable errors were more likely to involve younger patients, lower body weight, study location, sedated/anesthetized patients, studies performed and interpreted at night, uncommon diagnoses, and greater anatomic complexity than controls. Multivariate analysis identified the following risk factors: rare or very rare diagnoses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 9.2; P<0.001), study location in the recovery room (AOR, 7.9; P<0.001), moderate anatomic complexity (AOR, 3.5; P=0.004), and patient weight <5 kg (AOR, 3.5; P=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: A diagnostic error taxonomy and knowledge of risk factors can assist in identification of targets for quality improvement initiatives that aim to decrease diagnostic error in pediatric echocardiography.

Improvement in congenital heart surgery in a developing country: the Guatemalan experience.

BACKGROUND: In 1997, an effort was made to disseminate US pediatric cardiac surgical practices to create a new comprehensive program in Guatemala. The objective of this study was to describe the improvement of the program by exploring the reduction in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective cohort study of surgical procedures performed in Guatemala from February 1997 to July 2004 was conducted. Data were divided into 3 time periods (1997 to 1999, 2000 to 2002, and 2003 to 2004) and compared with a US benchmark (2000 Kids' Inpatient Database of 27 states and 313 institutions). The risk adjustment for congenital heart surgery (RACHS-1) method was used to adjust for case mix. Mortality rates, standardized mortality ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A total of 1215 surgical procedures were included. Median age was 3.1 years (range, 1 day to 17.9 years). The overall mortality was 10.7% (n=130). The RACHS-1 method showed better discrimination than in prior reports (area under receiver operating characteristic curve=0.854). A decreasing trend in mortality rate was observed in every RACHS-1 risk category over the 3 time periods. When compared against the US benchmark, the reduction in risk-adjusted mortality was noted by a decrease of standardized mortality ratio from 10.0 (95% confidence interval, 7.2 to 13.7) in 1997-1999, to 7.8 (95% confidence interval, 5.9 to 10.0) in 2000-2002, and to 5.7 (95% confidence interval, 3.8 to 8.3) in 2003-2004. CONCLUSIONS: In a short time period, mortality after congenital heart surgery has been reduced substantially in Guatemala. Measurement of risk-adjusted mortality is a useful method to assess pediatric cardiac program improvement in the developing world.

The nomenclature of safety and quality of care for patients with congenital cardiac disease: a report of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Database Taskforce Subcommittee on Patient Safety.

A large body of literature devoted to "patient safety" and error prevention exists and utilizes a nomenclature that can be applied specifically to the field of congenital cardiac disease and aid in the goals of increasing the safety of patients, decreasing medical error, minimizing mortality and morbidity, and evaluating quality of care. The purpose of this manuscript is to suggest and document a quality of health care taxonomy and the appropriate application of this nomenclature of "patient safety" to the specialty of congenital cardiac disease, with special emphasis on the following ten terms: morbidity, complication, medical error, adverse event, harm, near miss, iatrogenesis, iatrogenic complication, medical injury, and sentinel event. Each of these terms is commonly utilized in the medical literature without universal agreement on their meaning and relationship. It is our hope that the standardization of the definitions of these terms, as they are applied to the analysis of outcomes of the treatments applied to patients with congenital and paediatric cardiac disease, will facilitate improved methodologies to assess and improve quality of care in our profession.

Frequency of Guideline-Based Statin Therapy in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

We aimed to evaluate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk estimates and guideline-based statin use for primary prevention of ASCVD in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). This was a case-controlled, retrospective study of 248 cases and 744 age- and gender-matched controls at a tertiary care referral center. ASCVD risk scores were calculated and used to assess indication for statin treatment for primary prevention per the 2013 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guideline on assessment of cardiovascular risk. There were no differences in average 10-year ASCVD risk scores between ACHD cases (4.6% ± 6.6%) and matched controls (5.1% ± 6.7%, p = 0.32). ACHD cases had lower total cholesterol (183 ± 38 vs 192.6 ± 35.3 mg/dL, p < 0.001) and were less likely to smoke (8.1% vs 14.6%, p = 0.008), yet had lower high density lipoprotein (52.6 ± 17.2 vs 55.3 ± 17.1 mg/dL, p = 0.03) and higher hypertension rates (38.7% vs 28.5%, p = 0.003). However, only 42.3% ACHD cases with a primary prevention statin indication were appropriately prescribed therapy as compared with 59.0% of controls (p = 0.04). In conclusion, ACHD cases have a similar 10-year ASCVD risk score than age- and gender-matched peers, but ACHD cases are less likely than their peers to be prescribed statin therapy for primary prevention per guideline-based recommendations.

Readmissions after adult congenital heart surgery: Frequency and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: Despite their clinical importance, 30-day readmission after adult congenital heart surgery has been understudied. They sought to determine the frequency of unplanned readmissions after adult congenital heart surgery and to identify any potential associated risk factors. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using State Inpatient Databases for Washington, New York, Florida, and California from 2009 to 2011. SETTING: Federal and nonfederal acute care hospitals. PATIENTS: Admissions of patients age 18-49 years with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes indicating adult congenital heart surgery. OUTCOME MEASURES: Readmission was defined as any nonelective hospitalization for a given patient ≤30 days of discharge from the index congenital heart surgery admission. RESULTS: Of 9863 admissions, there were 8912 patients discharged home, of which 1419 were readmitted (14.2%). Unadjusted mortality rate was 2.6%. Most common indications for readmission were cardiac (pericardial disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure) and infectious (postoperative infection, endocarditis). On multivariable analysis, female gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.1; P = .05), black race (AOR 1.2; P = .05), median income <$40,000 (AOR 1.3; P = .01), government-sponsored insurance (AOR 1.4; P < .001), renal insufficiency (AOR 2.1; p < .001), Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 (RACHS-1) 3 complexity (AOR 1.3; P = .04), and emergent admissions (AOR 1.5 P < .001) were risk factors for readmission. CONCLUSIONS: One out of seven adult congenital heart surgery hospitalizations results in unplanned readmission. Female gender, lower income status, black race, government-sponsored insurance, renal failure, unscheduled index admission, and RACHS-1 three surgical procedures are risk factors for subsequent unplanned 30-day readmission. These risk factors may serve as potential quality improvement targets to reduce readmissions.

Educational intervention for improving the appropriateness of transthoracic echocardiograms ordered by pediatric cardiologists.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of educational intervention (EI) in the Pediatric Appropriate Use of Echocardiography (PAUSE) study to improve appropriateness of transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) ordered in pediatric cardiology clinics. DESIGN: Data were prospectively collected after the publication of the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) document during 2 phases: the pre-EI phase (1/1/15 to 4/30/15) and the post-EI phase (7/1/15 to 10/30/15). Pre-EI, site-investigators (SI) determined AUC indications, by reviewing the clinic records. Post-EI, providers assigned indications prior to obtaining TTE. SETTING: Pediatric cardiology clinics at six centers. PATIENTS: Those ≤18 years old, receiving initial outpatient TTE. INTERVENTIONS: EI included (i) sharing the pre-EI appropriateness ratings with providers, (ii) lecture on AUC, (iii) providers self-assigning indications, and (iv) monthly e-mail feedback by SI to individual providers. OUTCOME: The primary outcome measure was a change in the proportion of studies for indications rated R following EI. RESULTS: Of the 4542 TTEs (1907 pre-EI, 2635 post-EI) ordered by 90 physicians, overall comparison of appropriateness ratings before and after EI showed an increase in Appropriate (72.5%-76.2%, P = .004), no change in May Be Appropriate, and a decline in Rarely Appropriate (R) from 9.6% to 7.4%, P = .008. Following EI, a significant decline in R was observed only in three centers and EI did not affect the variation in TTEs ordered for R indications among physicians (P = .467). Physicians with the highest proportion of TTEs ordered for R before EI, showed the most significant decline in R. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriateness of pediatric outpatient TTE varies substantially by center. A customized EI resulted in modest improvement in the appropriateness of TTEs in the PAUSE study, with an increase in Appropriate and a decrease in R TTEs. Multifaceted EIs are required to improve adherence to national standards such as AUC.

Effect of Release of the First Pediatric Appropriate Use Criteria on Transthoracic Echocardiogram Ordering Practice.

Pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) were recently published for initial outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of AUC publication on TTE ordering patterns of pediatric cardiologists. Data were prospectively collected on patients who had initial outpatient TTE ordered before (phase I, April to September 2014) and 3 months after (phase II, January to April 2015) AUC document publication at 6 centers. Site investigators assessed each study's indication and assigned AUC appropriateness as "appropriate" (A), "may be appropriate" (M), "rarely appropriate" (R), or "unclassifiable." One hundred three physicians ordered 4,562 TTEs (2,655 phase I and 1,907 phase II). Overall, there was no statistically significant change in the proportion of A, M, or unclassifiable, but R decreased (12.0% to 9.6%, p = 0.01). There was significant variability among the centers in the percentage of studies for indications rated R (4.9% to 34.8%). There was no significant change in any of the appropriateness ratings at 4 centers, a decrease in R and an increase in A at 1 and a decrease in R and increase in unclassifiable at another. The first pediatric AUC document had only a small impact on physician ordering behavior for initial TTEs, including a small decrease in R. There was a significant variability in appropriateness of studies among centers. These data suggest that active educational interventions are required to substantially improve the appropriate use of pediatric TTE in the outpatient setting.

High resource use among adult congenital heart surgery admissions in adult hospitals: risk factors and association with death and comorbidities.

OBJECTIVE: Adult hospitals are a common location of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) admissions, including cardiac surgical admissions. Understanding the patterns and predictors of resource use could aid these institutions by identifying and targeting potentially modifiable determinants of high resource use (HRU). Our objectives were to examine resource use during adult congenital heart surgical admissions in adult hospitals, determine the association of HRU with mortality, and identify risk factors for HRU. DESIGN: Population-based retrospective study We obtained data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2005-2009 and examined ACHD surgical admissions ages 18-49 years (n = 16 231). OUTCOME MEASURES: We defined HRU as admissions with >90th percentile for total hospital charges. RESULTS: Despite representing 10% of admissions, HRU admissions accounted for 32% of total charges. HRU admissions had a higher mortality rate (9.7% vs. 1.8%, P < .001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that HRU is associated with government insurance adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6,2.4), emergency admissions AOR 3.9 (95% CI 3.1,4.8), complications AOR 4.2 (95% CI 3.3,5.2), renal failure AOR 1.8 (95% CI 1.4,2.2), congestive heart failure AOR 1.2 (95% CI 1,1.4), surgical complexity risk category-2 AOR 2.0 (95% CI 1.0,3.6), and category-3+ AOR 2.3 (95% CI 1.4,3.8). CONCLUSIONS: HRU admissions for adult congenital heart surgery consumed a disproportionate amount of resources and were associated with higher mortality. HRU risk factors included nonelective admissions, government insurance, heart failure, surgical complexity, renal failure, and complications. Complications, if preventable, may be a target for improvement strategies to decrease resource use. Other risk factors may require a broader patient care approach.

Pediatric Appropriate Use Criteria Implementation Project: A Multicenter Outpatient Echocardiography Quality Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Recently published appropriate use criteria (AUC) for initial pediatric outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) have not yet been evaluated for clinical applicability. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the appropriateness of TTE as currently performed in pediatric cardiology clinics, diagnostic yield of TTE for various AUC indications, and any gaps in the AUC document. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected from patients undergoing initial outpatient TTE in 6 centers. TTE indications (appropriate [A], may be appropriate [M], or rarely appropriate [R]) and findings (normal, incidental, or abnormal) were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 2,655 studies ordered by 102 physicians, indications rated A, M, and R were found in 1,876 (71%), 316 (12%), and 319 studies (12%), respectively, and 144 studies (5%) were unclassifiable. Twenty-four of 113 indications (21%) were not used. Innocent murmur and syncope or palpitations with no other indications of cardiovascular disease, a benign family history, and normal electrocardiogram accounted for 75% of indications rated R. Pathologic murmur had the highest yield of abnormal findings (40%). Odds of an abnormal finding in an A or M TTE were 6 times that of R (95% confidence interval [CI]: [2.8 to 12.8]). Abnormal findings were more common in patients <1 year of age than in those >10 years of age (odds ratio: 6.4; 95% CI: 4.7 to 8.7). Age was a significant predictor of an abnormal finding after adjusting for indication and site (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most TTEs ordered in pediatric cardiology clinics were for indications rated A. AUC ratings successfully stratified indications based on the yield of abnormal findings. This study identified differences in the yield of TTE based on patient age and most common indications rated R. These findings should inform quality improvement efforts and future revisions of the AUC document.

Diagnostic errors in congenital echocardiography: importance of study conditions.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic errors are unwanted clinical events that place patients at risk for injury. The authors have previously reported that a majority of congenital echocardiography errors have clinical impacts and, on the basis of a small cohort, identified factors associated with diagnostic error. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate patient risk factors for diagnostic errors in a large contemporary cohort and (2) to identify risk factors for situation-related diagnostic errors. METHODS: Diagnostic errors were identified at a large academic pediatric cardiac center from 2004 to 2011. Clinical and situational variables were collected from diagnostic error cases and controls. RESULTS: Among the 254 diagnostic error cases, 66% affected clinical management or patients experienced adverse events; 77% of errors were preventable or possibly preventable. Coronary arteries, pulmonary veins, and the aortic arch were most commonly involved with diagnostic errors. Multivariate analysis identified the following patient-related risk factors: rare or very rare diagnoses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 6.3; P < .001), high anatomic complexity (AOR, 3.4; P < .001), and weight < 5 kg (AOR, 2.7; P < .001). Risk factors related to the setting of the echocardiographic study included evening or night (7 pm to 6:59 am) study interpretation (AOR, 2.6; P = .005) and weekend studies (Friday through Sunday) (AOR, 1.6; P = .04). The model area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.833. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to patient risk factors, the setting of an echocardiographic study and interpretation contribute to risk for a diagnostic error. Studies interpreted overnight or performed during a weekend should be considered for a quality improvement activity to reduce diagnostic errors or their impact.

The impact of procedural sedation on diagnostic errors in pediatric echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Infants and young children frequently have difficulty remaining still for an echocardiographic examination, potentially leading to poor study quality, increasing the likelihood of diagnostic errors. Sedation is believed to improve echocardiographic quality, but its effectiveness has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that sedation would improve study quality and reduce diagnostic errors. METHODS: Outpatient echocardiograms from children aged ≤36 months obtained from January 2008 to June 2009 were examined. Variables related to image quality, report completeness, and sedation use were collected. Diagnostic errors were identified and categorized. Multivariate analysis identified the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for risk factors for potentially preventable diagnostic errors and the impact of sedation on these errors. RESULTS: Among 2,003 echocardiographic examinations, sedation was used in 498 (25%). The overall diagnostic error rate was 6.5%. Most errors (66%) were potentially preventable. Multivariate analysis identified the following risk factors for potentially preventable errors: precardiac procedure (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.05-4.59; P = .04), moderate anatomic complexity (OR, 3.91; 95% CI, 2.25-6.81; P < .001), and high anatomic complexity (OR, 8.36; 95% CI, 3.57-19.6; P < .001). Sedation was independently associated with lower odds of potentially preventable diagnostic errors (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27-0.80; P = .006). Echocardiographic examinations with sedation had fewer image quality concerns (22% vs 60%) and fewer incomplete reports (3% vs 20%) (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Most echocardiographic diagnostic errors among infants and young children are potentially preventable. Sedation is associated with a lower likelihood of these diagnostic errors, fewer imaging quality concerns, and fewer incomplete reports.

Outcomes of inferior sinus venosus defect repair.

OBJECTIVE: Inferior sinus venosus defect is an unusual form of interatrial communication with few published data on surgical outcomes. We sought to compare outcomes of surgical repair of inferior sinus venosus defect with those of large secundum atrial septal defects. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgical closure of an isolated interatrial defect were reviewed, and those with inferior sinus venosus defect were identified on the basis of predetermined anatomic criteria. For each case, 2 controls with secundum atrial septal defect, matched for age and year of surgery, were selected. Technical outcome scores and other perioperative outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Compared with the secundum atrial septal defect group (n = 90), the inferior sinus venosus defect group (n = 45) had worse technical outcome scores (P = .02), a higher rate of reintervention (9% vs 1%, P = .04), longer median total cardiopulmonary bypass (48 vs 39 minutes, P < .001) and crossclamp (29 vs 20 minutes, P < .001) times, and were more likely to stay more than 1 day in the intensive care unit (20% vs 8%, P = .04) and more than 3 days in the hospital (29% vs 13%, P = .03). Only 16 (36%) of the patients with inferior sinus venosus defect had a correct diagnosis preoperatively. Patients with an incorrect diagnosis had worse technical outcome scores than the secundum atrial septal defect group (P = .003), whereas those with a correct diagnosis had scores similar to those of the secundum atrial septal defect group (P = .55). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients with secundum atrial septal defect, patients with inferior sinus venosus defect have more residual defects and longer durations of cardiopulmonary bypass and hospitalization. Rates of misdiagnosis of inferior sinus venosus defect are high and associated with worse technical outcome scores. Accurate preoperative diagnosis of this lesion may lead to improved outcomes.

Resource use among adult congenital heart surgery admissions in pediatric hospitals: risk factors for high resource utilization and association with inpatient death.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric hospitals frequently perform congenital heart surgery in adults with congenital heart disease. The impact of these admissions on pediatric hospital resources is unknown. Our goals were to examine resource use by adults undergoing congenital heart surgery in pediatric hospitals, explore the association between high resource use (HRU) and inpatient death, and identify HRU risk factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: We obtained inpatient data from 42 pediatric hospitals from 2000 to 2008 and selected adult congenital heart (ACH) surgery admissions. We defined HRU admissions as those exceeding the 90th percentile for total hospital charges. We performed multivariable analyses using generalized estimating equations to identify risk factors for HRU. Of 97 563 congenital heart surgery admissions to pediatric hospitals, 3061 (3.1%) were adults, accounting for 2.2% of total hospital charges. The threshold for HRU was total hospital charges ≥$213 803. Although HRU admissions comprised 10% of admissions, they accounted for 34% of charges for all ACH surgery admissions. Mortality rate was 16% for HRU admissions and 0.7% for others (P<0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated higher case complexity: risk category 2 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.6; P=0.02), risk category 3 (AOR, 13.7; P<0.001), and risk category 4+ (AOR, 30.7; P<0.001) as compared with risk category 1; DiGeorge syndrome (AOR, 4.2; P=0.006); depression (AOR, 3.1; P<0.001); weekend admission (AOR, 2.6; P<0.001); and government insurance (AOR, 2.0; P<0.001) as risk factors for HRU. CONCLUSIONS: High resource use ACH surgery admissions are associated with significantly greater mortality rates. ACH admissions with greater surgical complexity, government insurance, DiGeorge syndrome, weekend admission, and depression were more likely to result in HRU.