Patch repair is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

BACKGROUND: Infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have variable outcomes. There is a considerable potential benefit in being able to predict perinatally, which infants have severe hypoplasia and are thus more likely to die or survive with significant morbidity. We examine the relationship between a need for patch repair of CDH (PR) and outcome, using a national database. METHODS: Baseline characteristics of patients undergoing PR or non-patch repair (NPR) were compared. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the association of PR with mortality and morbidity independent of other known predictors. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of PR and NPR infants were similar although those infants with PR had higher SNAP-II scores. PR was an independent predictor of mortality with an odds ratio of 17.1 (95%CI 2.0-149.2) and was independently associated with secondary outcome measures of morbidity, including the need for oxygen at discharge and the duration of ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Infants requiring PR have significantly higher mortality and suffer greater morbidity than those undergoing NPR. This association is independent of other known predictors of mortality. Identifying prenatal features associated with this high risk group would be of great clinical value.