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OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hospital- and surgeon-level operative volumes are associated with differences in postoperative outcomes among infants undergoing elective lung surgery for a congenital lung malformation (CLM). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Infant lung surgery is a relatively uncommon procedure performed by pediatric surgeons nationwide. The relationship between surgical volume and postoperative outcomes remains unknown. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of asymptomatic infants who underwent elective lung resection of a CLM was conducted using the Pediatric Health Information System database (2016-2020). Multivariable linear and poisson regressions were performed based on annual lung resection tertiles. RESULTS: There were 1420 infants managed by 48 hospitals and 309 primary surgeons. Institutions that performed seven or fewer CLM resections per year (56%) were associated with significantly higher postoperative complication rates compared to medium- and high-volume hospitals (low: 134 [34%], medium: 110 [21%], high: 144 [29%]; P<0.001). Surgeons who performed one or fewer CLM resections per year (82%) were associated with significantly higher complication rates compared to medium- and high-volume surgeons (low: 171 [31%], medium: 75 [26%], high: 119 [24%]; P=0.02). Multivariable analyses confirmed that low-volume hospitals were associated with higher complications (OR 1.81, CI 1.38-2.37; P<0.001), and low-volume surgeons had an increased risk of complications (overall: OR 1.37, CI 1.01-1.84; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study of infants undergoing elective lung resection for a CLM, lower volume providers were associated with higher postoperative patient morbidity. These findings represent an opportunity to inform quality improvement initiatives on pediatric lung resection and the debate on surgical subspecialization for this unique patient population.
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INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate whether the maternal administration of minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic known to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties in models of neural injury, reduces inflammation and neural cell death in a fetal rat model of myelomeningocele (MMC). METHODS: E10 pregnant rats were gavaged with olive oil or olive oil + retinoic acid to induce fetal MMC. At E12, the dams were exposed to regular drinking water or water containing minocycline (range, 40-140 mg/kg/day). At E21, fetal lumbosacral spinal cords were isolated for immunohistochemistry and quantitative gene expression studies focused on microglia activity, inflammation, and apoptosis (P < 0.05). RESULTS: There was a trend toward decreased activated Iba1+ microglial cells within the dorsal spinal cord of MMC pups following minocycline exposure when compared to water (H2O) alone (P = 0.052). Prenatal minocycline exposure was correlated with significantly reduced expression of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-6 (minocycline: 1.75 versus H2O: 3.52, P = 0.04) and apoptosis gene, Bax (minocycline: 0.71 versus H2O: 1.04, P < 0.001) among MMC pups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found evidence that the maternal administration of minocycline reduces selected markers of inflammation and apoptosis within the exposed dorsal spinal cords of fetal MMC rats. Further study of minocycline as a novel prenatal treatment strategy to mitigate spinal cord damage in MMC is warranted.