A National Survey: Current Clinical Practice in Pediatric Anesthesia for Congenital Heart Surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-264
Author(s):  
Torsten Baehner ◽  
Nicholas Kiefer ◽  
Shahab Ghamari ◽  
Ingo Graeff ◽  
Christopher Huett ◽  
...  

Background: Providing anesthesia for pediatric patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery is complex and requires profound knowledge and clinical experience. Prospective studies on best anesthetic management are missing, partially due to different standards. The aim of the present study was to survey the current standard practice in anesthetic management in pediatric cardiac surgical centers in Germany. Methods: All 78 cardiac surgical centers in Germany were reviewed for a congenital cardiac surgery program. Centers with an active program for congenital cardiac surgery were interviewed to participate in the present online questionnaire to assess their current anesthetic practice. Results: Twenty-seven German centers running an active program for congenital heart surgery were identified, covering more than 3,000 pediatric cardiac surgeries annually. Of these centers, 96.3% (26/27) participated in our survey. Standard induction agents were etomidate in 26.9% (7/26), propofol in 19.2% (5/26), a combination of benzodiazepines and ketamine in 19.2% (5/26), and barbiturates in 11.5% (3/26). General anesthesia was preferentially maintained using volatile agents, 61.5% (16/26), with sevoflurane being the most common volatile agent within this group, 81.2% (13/16). Intraoperative first-choice/first-line inotropic drug was epinephrine, 53.8% (14/26), followed by milrinone, 23.1% (6/26), and dobutamine 15.4% (4/26). Fast-track programs performing on-table extubation depending on the type of surgical procedure were established at 61.5% (16/26) of the centers. Conclusion: This study highlights the diversity of clinical standards in pediatric cardiac anesthesia for congenital cardiac surgery in Germany.

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Jacobs ◽  
James A. Quintessenza ◽  
Redmond P. Burke ◽  
Mark S. Bleiweis ◽  
Barry J. Byrne ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundFlorida is the fourth largest state in the United States of America. In 2004, 218,045 live babies were born in Florida, accounting for approximately 1744 new cases of congenital heart disease. We review the initial experience of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database with a regional outcomes report, namely the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Florida Regional Report.MethodsEight centres in Florida provide services for congenital cardiac surgery. The Children’s Medical Services of Florida provide a framework for quality improvement collaboration between centres. All congenital cardiac surgical centres in Florida have voluntarily agreed to submit data to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Duke Clinical Research Institute prepared a Florida Regional Report to allow detailed regional analysis of outcomes for congenital cardiac surgery.ResultsThe report of 2007 from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database includes details of 61,014 operations performed during the 4 year data harvest window, which extended from 2003 through 2006. Of these operations, 6,385 (10.5%) were performed in Florida. Discharge mortality in the data from Florida overall, and from each Florida site, with 95% confidence intervals, is not different from cumulative data from the entire Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database, both for all patients and for patients stratified by complexity.ConclusionsA regional consortium of congenital heart surgery centres in Florida under the framework of the Children’s Medical Services has allowed for inter-institutional collaboration with the goal of quality improvement. This experience demonstrates, first, that the database maintained by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons can provide the framework for regional analysis of outcomes, and second, that voluntary regional collaborative efforts permit the pooling of data for such analysis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 177-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Clarke ◽  
Linda S. Breen ◽  
Marshall L. Jacobs ◽  
Rodney C.G. Franklin ◽  
Zdzislaw Tobota ◽  
...  

AbstractAccurate, complete data is now the expectation of patients, families, payers, government, and even media. It has become an obligation of those practising congenital cardiac surgery. Appropriately, major professional organizations worldwide are assuming responsibility for the data quality in their respective registry databases.The purpose of this article is to review the current strategies used for verification of the data in the congenital databases of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and The United Kingdom Central Cardiac Audit Database. Because the results of the initial efforts to verify data in the congenital databases of the United Kingdom and Europe have been previously published, this article provides a more detailed look at the current efforts in North America, which prior to this article have not been published. The discussion and presentation of the strategy for the verification of data in the congenital heart surgery database of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is then followed by a review of the strategies utilized in the United Kingdom and Europe. The ultimate goal of sharing the information in this article is to provide information to the participants in the databases that track the outcomes of patients with congenitally malformed hearts. This information should help to improve the quality of the data in all of our databases, and therefore increase the utility of these databases to function as a tool to optimise the management strategies provided to our patients.The need for accurate, complete and high quality Congenital Heart Surgery outcome data has never been more pressing. The public interest in medical outcomes is at an all time high and “pay for performance” is looming on the horizon. Information found in administrative databases is not risk or complexity adjusted, notoriously inaccurate, and far too imprecise to evaluate performance adequately in congenital cardiac surgery. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery databases contain the elements needed for assessment of quality of care provided that a mechanism exists within these organizations to guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the data. The Central Cardiac Audit Database in the United Kingdom has an advantage in this endeavour with the ability to track and verify mortality independently, through their National Health Service.A combination of site visits with “Source Data Verification”, in other words, verification of the data at the primary source of the data, and external verification of the data from independent databases or registries, such as governmental death registries, may ultimately be required to allow for optimal verification of data. Further research in the area of verification of data is also necessary. Data must be verified for both completeness and accuracy.


Perfusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 026765912110204
Author(s):  
Luiz Fernando Caneo ◽  
Gregory S Matte ◽  
Aida Luiza R Turquetto ◽  
Luana Marques de Carvalho Pegollo ◽  
Maria Clara Amato Miglioli ◽  
...  

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate outcome measures between our standard multidose cardioplegia protocol and a del Nido cardioplegia protocol in congenital heart surgery patients. Methods: Retrospective single-center study including 250 consecutive patients that received del Nido cardioplegia (DN group) with a mandatory reperfusion period of 30% of cross clamp time and 250 patients that received a modified St. Thomas’ solution (ST group). Groups were matched by age, weight, gender, and Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) scores. Preoperative hematocrit and oxygen saturation were also recorded. Outcomes analyzed were the vasoactive inotropic score (VIS), lactate, ventilation time, ventricular dysfunction with low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, bypass and aortic cross-clamp times, and in-hospital mortality. Results: Both groups were comparable demographically. Statistically significant differences (p ⩽ 0.05) were noted for cardiac dysfunction with LCOS, hematocrit at end of surgery (p = 0.0038), VIS on ICU admission and at end of surgery (p = 0.0111), and ICU LOS (p = 0.00118) with patients in the DN group having more desirable values for those parameters. Other outcome measures did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: In our congenital cardiac surgery population, del Nido cardioplegia strategy was associated with less ventricular dysfunction with LCOS, a lower VIS and decreased ICU LOS compared with patients that received our standard myocardial protection using a modified St. Thomas’ solution. Despite the limitation of this study, including its retrospective nature and cohort size, these data supported our transition to incorporate del Nido cardioplegia solution with a mandatory reperfusion period as the preferred myocardial protection method in our program.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaser Abdelmohsen ◽  
Jameel Al-Ata ◽  
Naif Alkhushi ◽  
Saud Bahaidarah ◽  
Hysam Baho ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Cardiac catheterization performed for patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after congenital heart surgery may affect their clinical outcome, yet its effect in this group of patients is not adequately studied. The objective of this study was the evaluation of the impact of cardiac catheterization on successful weaning from ECMO support and survival after congenital heart surgery and determining predictors that influence successful weaning. Methods : This is a retrospective cohort study conducted on paediatric patients underwent cardiac catheterization while on ECMO support after congenital heart surgery in two cardiac centres from November 2012 till February 2020. Predictors of successful weaning from ECMO support were studied using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Out of 141 patients received ECMO support after congenital cardiac surgery,60 patients underwent 60 cardiac catheterizations (31 diagnostic and 29 interventional). The median age was 6.5 months (range 4 days -20 years), median weight was 5 kg (range 2-53 kg). Thirty-four patients (56.7%) underwent successful decannulation from ECMO support and 22patients (36.3%) survived to hospital discharge. Predictors of successful weaning from ECMO support and survival were shorter duration on ECMO support, absence of bleeding tendency, early cardiac catheterization, and biventricular physiology. Conclusion: Cardiac catheterization is feasible with acceptable risks for patients receiving ECMO after congenital heart surgery. The shorter duration on ECMO support may have a significant influence on successful weaning from ECMO and survival after congenital heart surgery. Early cardiac catheterization could also influence the successful weaning from ECMO.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-479
Author(s):  
Orlando José Tamariz-Cruz ◽  
Luis Antonio García-Benítez ◽  
Hector Díliz-Nava ◽  
Felipa Acosta-Garduño ◽  
Marcela Barrera-Fuentes ◽  
...  

Background: Early extubation is performed either in the operating room or in the cardiovascular intensive care unit during the first 24 postoperative hours; however, altitude might possibly affect the process. The aim of this study is the evaluation of early extubation feasibility of patients undergoing congenital heart surgery in a center located at 2,691 m (8,828 ft.) above sea level. Material and Methods: Patients undergoing congenital heart surgery, from August 2012 through December 2018, were considered for early extubation. The following variables were recorded: weight, serum lactate, presence or not of Down syndrome, optimal oxygenation and acid–base status according to individual physiological condition (biventricular or univentricular), age, bypass time, and ventricular function. Standardized anesthetic management with dexmedetomidine–fentanyl–rocuronium and sevoflurane was used. If extubation in the operating room was considered, 0.08 mL/kg of 0.5% ropivacaine was injected into the parasternal intercostal spaces bilaterally before closing the sternum. Results: Four hundred seventy-eight patients were operated and 81% were early extubated. Mean pre- and postoperative SaO2 was 92% and 98%; postoperative SaO2 for Glenn and Fontan procedures patients was 82% and 91%, respectively. Seventy-three percent of patients who underwent Glenn procedure, 89% of those who underwent Fontan procedure (all nonfenestrated), and 85% with Down syndrome were extubated in the operating room. Reintubation rate in early extubated patients was 3.6%. Conclusion: Early extubation is feasible, with low reintubation rates, at 2,691 m (8,828 ft.) above sea level, even in patients with single ventricle physiology.


Author(s):  
Kim Anh La ◽  
Camille Jutras ◽  
George Gerardis ◽  
Rachel Richard ◽  
Geneviève Du Pont-Thibodeau

AbstractThe postoperative course of infants following congenital heart surgery is associated with significant blood loss and anemia. Optimal transfusion thresholds for cardiac surgery patients while in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) remain a subject of debate. The goal of this study is to describe the epidemiology of anemia and the transfusion practices during the PICU stay of infants undergoing congenital heart surgery. A retrospective cohort study was performed in a PICU of a tertiary university-affiliated center. Infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CDH) before 6 weeks of age between February 2013 and June 2019 and who were subsequently admitted to the PICU were included. We identified 119 eligible patients. Mean age at surgery was 11 ± 7 days. Most common cardiac diagnoses were d-Transposition of the Great Arteries (55%), coarctation of the aorta (12.6%), and tetralogy of Fallot (11.8%). Mean hemoglobin level was 14.3 g/dL prior to surgery versus 12.1 g/dL at the PICU admission. Hemoglobin prior to surgery was systematically higher than hemoglobin at the PICU entry, except in infants with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The average hemoglobin at PICU discharge was 11.7 ± 1.9 g/dL. Thirty-three (27.7%) patients were anemic at PICU discharge. Fifty-eight percent of patients received at least one red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during PICU stay. This study is the first to describe the epidemiology of anemia at PICU discharge in infants following cardiac surgery. Blood management of this distinctive and vulnerable population requires further investigation as anemia is a known risk factor for adverse neurodevelopment delays in otherwise healthy young children.


2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Bønding Andreasen ◽  
Anne-Mette Hvas ◽  
Kirsten Christiansen ◽  
Hanne Berg Ravn

AbstractBackgroundSuccessful management of bleeding disorders after congenital heart surgery requires detection of specific coagulation disturbances. Whole-blood rotation thromboelastometry (RoTEM®) provides continuous qualitative haemostatic profiles, and the technique has shown promising results in adult cardiac surgery.SettingTo compare the performance of RoTEM®with that of conventional coagulation tests in children, we conducted a descriptive study in children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery. For that purpose, 60 children were enrolled and had blood samples taken before, immediately after, and 1 day after surgery. Conventional coagulation tests included: activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer, thrombin clotting time, factor XIII, and platelet count.ResultsPost-surgical haemostatic impairment was present to some degree in all children, as seen by pronounced changes in activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, thrombin clotting time, and platelet count, as well as RoTEM®analysis. RoTEM®showed marked changes in clotting time – prolonged by 7–18% – clot formation time – prolonged by 46–71% – maximum clot firmness – reduced by 10–19%, and maximum velocity – reduced by 29–39%. Comparison of the two techniques showed that conventional coagulation tests and RoTEM®performed equally well with regard to negative predictive values for excessive post-operative drain production – more than 20 millilitres per kilogram per 24 hours after surgery – with an area under the curve of approximately 0.65.ConclusionRoTEM®can detect haemostatic impairments in children undergoing cardiac surgery and the method should be considered as a supplement in the perioperative care of the children where targeted transfusion therapy is necessary to avoid volume overload.


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