Otolaryngologic Manifestations of Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18 in Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The survival rate of patients with trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 has increased dramatically over the past two decades. We sought to comprehensively describe the otolaryngologic clinical characteristics and procedures required for these patients at our institution. METHODS: We performed algorithmic identification of patients with a diagnosis of trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 for whom the otolaryngology service provided inpatient or outpatient care at our institution between the dates of February 1997 and March 2021. RESULTS: Of the 47 patients studied, 18 patients had a diagnosis of trisomy 13, and 29 had a diagnosis of trisomy 18. Complete trisomy was present in 44% (8/18) of trisomy 13 patients and 55% (16/29) of trisomy 18 patients. 81% of patients were living at the time of the study. About 94% (44/47) of patients required consultation with another specialty in addition to Otolaryngology. Overall, the most common diagnoses among this cohort were gastroesophageal reflux disease (47%), dysphagia (40%), otitis media (38%), and obstructive sleep apnea (34%). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of patients studied required an otolaryngologic procedure. The most common surgical procedure was tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy. Patients with trisomy 18 were significantly more likely to have external auditory canal stenosis and obstructive sleep apnea whereas patients with trisomy 13 were more likely to have cleft lip and palate. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18 often require multidisciplinary management and the range of required care spans the breadth of otolaryngology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 133:1501-1506, 2023.

A validated model for prediction of survival to 6 months in patients with trisomy 13 and 18.

Congenital heart disease is exceedingly prevalent in trisomy 13 and 18. Improved survival following congenital heart surgery has been reported, however, mortality remains significantly elevated. Utilizing inpatient data on trisomy 13 and 18 from the 2003-2016 Pediatric Health Information System database, a survival model was developed and validated using data from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative and the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The study cohort included 1,761 infants with trisomy 13 and 18. Two models predicting survival to 6 months of age were developed and tested. The initial model performed excellently, with a c-statistic of 0.87 and a c-statistic of 0.76 in the validation cohort. After excluding procedures performed on the day of death, the revised model's c-statistic was 0.76. Certain variables, including cardiac surgery, gastrostomy, parenteral nutrition, and mechanical ventilation, are predictive of survival to 6 months of age. This study presents a model, which potentially can inform decision-making regarding congenital heart surgery.

Cardiac Surgery in Trisomy 13 and 18: A Guide to Clinical Decision-Making.

There has been substantial controversy regarding treatment of congenital heart defects in infants with trisomies 13 and 18. Most reports have focused on surgical outcomes versus expectant treatment, and rarely there has been an effort to consolidate existing evidence into a more coherent way to help clinicians with decision-making and counseling families. An extensive review of the existing literature on cardiac surgery in patients with these trisomies was conducted from 2004 to 2020. The effects of preoperative and perioperative factors on in-hospital and long-term mortality were analyzed, as well as possible predictors for postoperative chronic care needs such as tracheostomy and gastrostomy. Patients with minimal or no preoperative pulmonary hypertension and mechanical ventilation undergoing corrective surgery at a weight greater than 2.5 kg suffer from lower postoperative mortality. Infants with lower-complexity cardiac defects are likely to benefit the most from surgery, although their expected mortality is higher than that of infants without trisomy. Omphalocele confers an increased mortality risk regardless of cardiac surgery. Gastrointestinal comorbidities increased the risk of gastrostomy tube placement, while those with prolonged mechanical ventilation and respiratory comorbidities are more likely to require tracheostomy. Cardiac surgery is feasible in children with trisomies 13 and 18 and can provide improved long-term results. However, this is a clinically complex population, and both physicians and caretakers should be aware of the long-term challenges these patients face following surgery when discussing treatment options.

Mixed method study of quality of life for children with trisomy 18 and 13 after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac surgical interventions for children with trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 remain controversial, despite growing evidence that definitive cardiac repair prolongs survival. Understanding quality of life for survivors and their families therefore becomes crucial. Study objective was to generate a descriptive summary of parental perspectives on quality of life, family impact, functional status, and hopes for children with trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 who have undergone heart surgery. METHODS: A concurrent mixed method approach utilising PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Parent Report for Toddlers or the PedsQL™ Infant Scale, PedsQL™ 2.0 Family Impact Module, Functional Status Scale, quality of life visual analogue scale, and narrative responses for 10 children whose families travelled out of state to access cardiac surgery denied to them in their home state due to genetic diagnoses. RESULTS: Parents rated their child's quality of life as 80/100, and their own quality of life as 78/100 using validated scales. Functional status was rated 11 by parents and 11.6 by providers (correlation 0.89). On quality of life visual analogue scale, all parents rated their child's quality of life as "high" with mean response 92.7/100. Parental hopes were informed by realistic perspective on prognosis while striving to ensure their children had access to reaching their full potential. Qualitative analysis revealed a profound sense of the child's relationality and valued life meaning. CONCLUSION: Understanding parental motivations and perceptions on the child's quality of life has potential to inform care teams in considering cardiac interventions for children with trisomy 18 and trisomy 13.

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.

Mortality and Resource Use Following Cardiac Interventions in Children with Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18 and Congenital Heart Disease.

We sought to evaluate the mortality, risk factors for mortality, and resource utilization following cardiac interventions in trisomy 13 (T13) and 18 (T18) children. All T13 and T18 children who underwent a cardiac intervention from January 1999 to March 2015 were identified from the Pediatric Health Information System database. Data collected included demographics, type of congenital heart disease (CHD), cardiac interventions, comorbidities, length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and deaths (within 30 days). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with mortality. There were 49 (47% females) T13 and 140 (67% females) T18 subjects. The two cohorts were similar in distribution for race, geographic region, insurance type, and median household income. The most common CHD in both groups was a shunt lesion followed by conotruncal defects. Compared to T18, the T13 cohort had higher mortality (29% vs. 12%), tracheostomies (12% vs. 4%), gastrostomies (18% vs. 6%), and overall resource use (P < 0.05 for all). White race (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.06-0.81) in T13 and older age (in weeks) at surgery in T18 (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.86) were associated with lower mortality. A select group of T13 and T18 CHD patients can undergo successful cardiac interventions, albeit with a higher mortality and resource use. T13 patients have higher mortality and resource use compared to T18. In T13 and T18 patients, interventions for CHD may be an acceptable and ethical option following a careful individualized selection and counseling by a team of experts.

Safety and efficacy of noncardiac surgical procedures in the management of patients with trisomy 13: A single institution-based detailed clinical observation.

Intensive treatment including surgery for patients with trisomy 13 (T13) remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of noncardiac surgical intervention for T13 patients. Medical records of patients with karyotypically confirmed T13 treated in the neonatal intensive care unit in Nagano Children's Hospital from January 2000 to October 2016 were retrospectively reviewed, and data from patients who underwent noncardiac surgery were analyzed. Of the 20 patients with T13, 15 (75%) underwent a total of 31 surgical procedures comprising 15 types, including tracheostomy in 10 patients and gastrostomy in 4. Operative time, anesthesia time, and amount of bleeding are described for the first time in a group of children with T13. All the procedures were completed safely with no anesthetic complications or surgery-related death. The overall rate of postoperative complications was 19.3%. Patients receiving tracheostomy had stable or improved respiratory condition. Six of them were discharged home and were alive at the time of this study. These results suggest at least short-term safety and efficacy of major noncardiac surgical procedures, and long-term efficacy of tracheostomy on survival or respiratory stabilization for home medical care of children with T13. Noncardiac surgical intervention is a reasonable choice for patients with T13.

Obstetricians' views on the ethics of cardiac surgery for newborns with common aneuploidies.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether obstetricians think that cardiac surgery is ethical in babies with common aneuploidies and whether insurance companies should be required to pay for these surgeries. STUDY DESIGN: A survey was e-mailed to 2897 OB-GYNs, and 898 (31%) actively practicing obstetricians responded to the survey. Respondents were asked whether it is ethical to offer cardiac surgery for babies with heart defects diagnosed with trisomies 21, 18, and 13 and Turner syndrome and whether insurance companies should be required to pay for such surgeries in cases of trisomy 18 or 13. Chi-square tests were utilized to compare responses by using an alpha level of .05. RESULTS: Most obstetricians thought that offering cardiac surgery was ethical if the baby had trisomy 21 or Turner syndrome (94%), but not trisomy 18 or 13 (75%). Most obstetricians (69%) thought that insurance companies should not be legally required to pay for cardiac surgery for the latter group. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians were more likely to think cardiac surgery was ethical if the prognosis or the outcome was good. Most respondents did not think that insurance companies should be required to subsidize the cost of cardiac surgeries for all babies with trisomy 18 or 13.

Factors Influencing Outcomes After Cardiac Intervention in Infants with Trisomy 13 and 18.

Cardiac intervention remains controversial in patients with trisomy 13 and 18 and little is known about factors that may affect outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate preoperative factors and surgical approach with respect to outcomes in these patients. Patients with congenital heart disease and trisomy 13 or 18 presenting to our institution from 2004 through 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped into complete intervention, palliated intervention, and non-intervention. Pre-intervention variables, timing and type of intervention, post-intervention outcomes, and survival were recorded and comparisons were made between the groups. Of 34 patients, 18 cardiac interventions were performed. Complete repair was performed in 11(61%) and palliation in 7(39%). Median age for complete repair was 9.2 vs. 1.7 months in palliated patients (p < 0.001) and palliated patients were smaller (median 2.5 vs. 5.2 kg, p < 0.001). All patients who underwent complete repair survived to discharge compared to only 57% of patients that were palliated (p = 0.04). Palliated patients had longer intubation and time to discharge (p < 0.05). Survival at last follow-up was greater in the complete repair group compared with palliated patients and non-intervention patients (72, 14, and 18%, p = 0.009) with a longer median length of survival in the complete repair group (p = 0.002). In our group of trisomy 13 and 18 patients, those able to undergo complete repair had improved outcomes. Patients undergoing complete repair were older and bigger; this suggests that delaying intervention and optimizing the likelihood of complete repair may be beneficial.

Cardiac surgery for children with trisomies 13 and 18: Where are we now?

The objective is to examine whether cardiac surgery should be considered for children with trisomy 13 or 18 (T13 or 18).T13 or 18 were previously referred to as "lethal" conditions due to high mortality rates and severe disability among survivors. In the last decade, investigations have revealed these conditions are heterogeneous, with increasing numbers of studies describing interventions for these children. A number of factors makes the interpretation of reported outcomes after cardiac surgery challenging: (1) dissimilarities in practice lead to a wide variation in reported outcomes after cardiac surgery; (2) cardiac surgery is generally offered to older, healthier children; (3) cardiac surgeries of widely varying risks are often lumped together in individual studies, and (4) cases where cardiac surgery has been withheld are generally not included in publications. It is unclear whether withholding cardiac surgery for some children with a ventricular septal defect will lead to death, or the development of pulmonary hypertension, or if death will occur from other causes. In this article, we describe two children with different clinical situations and examine whether cardiac surgery would benefit them and how to communicate with their families. Cardiac surgery may be beneficial to some children with trisomy 13 or 18, but may harm others. Every child should be approached in an individual fashion and the goals of each family should be addressed. Children who are more likely to benefit from surgery may be older, healthier children without respiratory support. Rigorous and transparent research is needed to identify factors that affect survival in trisomy 13 or 18.