Preoperative Fasting of More Than 14 Hours Increases the Risk of Time-to-Death after Cardiothoracic Surgery in Children:A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background:Prolonged preoperative fasting can cause hypoglycemia,hyperglycemia,and intravascular volume depletion in children.We aimed to examine whether prolonged preoperative fasting is associated with in-hospital mortality and other morbidities in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included children aged 0–3 years who underwent cardiac surgery between July 2014 and October 2020.The patient demographic data,surgery-related and anesthesia-related factors,and postoperative outcomes,including hypoglycemia,hyperglycemia,sepsis,length of intensive care unit stay,and in-hospital mortality,were recorded.The main exposure and outcome variables were prolonged fasting and time-to-death after surgery,respectively.The associations between prolonged fasting and perioperative death were analyzed using multivariate Cox regression analysis.Results:In total,402 patients were recruited.The incidence of perioperative mortality was 21%(85/402).The proportion of perioperative deaths was significantly higher in the prolonged fasting group than that in the normal fasting group.The proportion of postoperative bacteremia and hypoglycemia was significantly higher in the very prolonged fasting group than that in the prolonged fasting group.After adjusting for preoperative conditions and anesthesia-and surgery-related factors,preoperative prolonged fasting>14.4 h was significantly associated with time-to-death(HR[95%CI]:2.2[1.2,3.9],p=0.036).The 30-day survival rates of fasting time>14.4 h,9.25–14.4 h,and<9.25 h were 0.67(0.55,0.81),0.79(0.72,0.87),and 0.85(0.79,0.91),respectively.Conclusions:Preoperative fasting of more than 14.4 h was associated with a two-fold increase in the hazard rate of time-to-death in children who underwent cardiac surgery.

Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Cyanotic Heart Disease Who Underwent Palliative and Total Repair

Background:Studies on predictors of health-related quality of life(HRQOL)in pediatric patients with cyanotic heart disease who are waiting for the next stage and those who have undergone total repair are scarce.Therefore,we aimed to identify such predictors in children who received the modified Blalock–Taussig shunt(MBTS)and those who underwent total repair.Methods:In this historical cohort and concurrent follow-up study,data of children who underwent MBTS at the age of 0–3 years between January 2005 and December 2016 at a super-tertiary care hospital in Southern Thailand were obtained.Children who were alive in December 2017 were recruited to evaluate the quality of life at least 1 year after their operation.Between January and December 2018,the“Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales”with both child self-report and parent proxy-report scores were used to examine the HRQOL.Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of HRQOL.Beta-coefficient(β)and 95% confidence intervals(95%CIs)were calculated and considered statistically significant at p<0.05.Results:Among the 380 enrolled children,148 died,122 survived and waited for total repair,and 110 survived after total repair.In the multivariate analysis,chronic lung disease was a common predictor of lower physical and psychosocial HRQOL reported by the parents(β[95%CI]:−0.42[−0.81,−0.03]and−0.49[−0.89,−0.09],respectively).Total repair was a predictor of higher physical HRQOL according to both parents and children(β[95%CI]:0.33[0.09,0.57]and 0.70[0.36,1.03],respectively).A predictor of higher psychosocial HRQOL reported by the parents was younger age during MBTS surgery compared with older age(β[95%CI]:0.012[0.001,0.022]).In the total repair subgroup,undergoing the Fontan procedure(vs.Glenn procedure)was a predictor for lower physical HRQOL reported by the parents(β[95%CI]:−0.82[−1.52,−0.13]).Higher socioeconomic status was a predictor of both physical and psychosocial HRQOL(β[95%CI]:0.018[0.001,0.034]and 0.012[0.0001,0.04],respectively).Conclusions:Successful total repair was a predictor of higher physical HRQOL,and younger age during MBTS surgery was a predictor of higher psychological HRQOL in children with cyanotic heart disease.Higher socioeconomic status was a predictor of both physical and psychological HRQOL following total repair[Thai Clinical Trials Registry:TCTR20161221003].