Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy After Cardiothoracic Surgery in Children Less Than 2 Months Old: An Assessment of Long-Term Malnutrition Status and Gastrostomy Outcomes

Objectives: Infants with critical congenital heart disease undergoing cardiothoracic surgery commonly experience chronic malnutrition and growth failure. We sought to determine whether placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was associated with reduced moderate-severe malnutrition status and to describe percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy–related clinical and safety outcomes in this population. Design: Single-center, retrospective cohort study. Setting: Two hundred fifty-nine–bed, tertiary care, pediatric referral center. Patients: Children with congenital heart disease less than 2 months old undergoing cardiothoracic surgery from 2007 to 2013 with and without percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Primary outcomes were weight for age z scores during hospitalization, at 6 months, and 1 year after cardiothoracic surgery. Secondary outcomes were frequency of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy revision, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy complications, and mortality. Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon rank-sum, Fisher exact, and Student t tests. Two hundred twenty-two subjects met study criteria, and 77 (35%) had percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placed at a mean of 45 ± 31 days after cardiothoracic surgery. No differences were noted for demographics, comorbidities, and weight for age z score at birth and at the time of cardiothoracic surgery. The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy co...
Source: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Cardiac Intensive Care Source Type: research