Survival of children with trisomy 13 and trisomy 18: A multi-state population-based study

Trends in the survival of patients with trisomy 13 from 1995 to 2021: A population study in Japan

It remains unclear whether recent changes in the prognosis and management of patients with trisomy 13 impact patient survival. We investigated changes in survival of patients with trisomy 13 in Japan. Data from the Vital Statistics Database in Japan was retrieved to examine the association of sex, surgical history, and years of birth and death with changes in survival patterns in 1164 patients with trisomy 13 between 1995 and 2021. The rates of deaths due to trisomy 13 increased from 9.8% to 23.1% in those over 1 year of age and from 7.3% to 19.2% in those within 24 h of birth between 1995 and 2021. The median survival time was longer in 2009-2021 than in 1996-2008 (40 vs. 84 days, p < 0.001). The median survival time and the rate of patients with surgical history increased from 91 days and 16.0% in 1996-2008 to 179 days and 28.0% in 2009-2021, respectively. Median survival time among patients with trisomy 13 has increased over the last 26 years, with almost 1 in 3 patients currently surviving for more than 1 year. The increased surgical intervention rate might have contributed to this improvement.

Navigating the post-Dobbs landscape: ethical considerations from a perinatal perspective

Restrictive abortion laws have impacts reaching far beyond the immediate sphere of reproductive health, with cascading effects on clinical and ethical aspects of neonatal care, as well as perinatal palliative care. These laws have the potential to alter how families and clinicians navigate prenatal and postnatal medical decisions after a complex fetal diagnosis is made. We present a hypothetical case to explore the nexus of abortion care and perinatal care of fetuses and infants with life-limiting conditions. We will highlight the potential impacts of limited abortion access on families anticipating the birth of these infants. We will also examine the legally and morally fraught gray zone of gestational viability where both abortion and resuscitation of live-born infants can potentially occur, per parental discretion. These scenarios are inexorably impacted by the rapidly changing legal landscape in the U.S., and highlight difficult ethical dilemmas which clinicians may increasingly need to navigate.

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2023 Expert Consensus Document: Recommendation for the care of children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18 and a congenital heart defect

OBJECTIVES

Recommendations for surgical repair of a congenital heart defect in children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18 remain controversial, are subject to biases, and are largely unsupported with limited empirical data. This has created significant distrust and uncertainty among parents and could potentially lead to suboptimal care for patients. A working group, representing several clinical specialties involved with the care of these children, developed recommendations to assist in the decision-making process for congenital heart defect care in this population. The goal of these recommendations is to provide families and their health care teams with a framework for clinical decision making based on the literature and expert opinions.

METHODS

This project was performed under the auspices of the AATS Congenital Heart Surgery Evidence-Based Medicine Taskforce. A Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison/Control, Outcome process was used to generate preliminary statements and recommendations to address various aspects related to cardiac surgery in children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18. Delphi methodology was then used iteratively to generate consensus among the group using a structured communication process.

RESULTS

Nine recommendations were developed from a set of initial statements that arose from the Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison/Control, Outcome process methodology following the groups' review of more than 500 articles. These recommendations were adjudicated by this group of experts using a modified Delphi process in a reproducible fashion and make up the current publication. The Class (strength) of recommendations was usually Class IIa (moderate benefit), and the overall level (quality) of evidence was level C-limited data.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first set of recommendations collated by an expert multidisciplinary group to address specific issues around indications for surgical intervention in children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18 with congenital heart defect. Based on our analysis of recent data, we recommend that decisions should not be based solely on the presence of trisomy but, instead, should be made on a case-by-case basis, considering both the severity of the baby's heart disease as well as the presence of other anomalies. These recommendations offer a framework to assist parents and clinicians in surgical decision making for children who have trisomy 13 or trisomy 18 with congenital heart defect.

Treatment courses and outcomes of oesophageal atresia in patients with trisomy 18: a case series of 271 patients from a nationwide database in Japan

OBJECTIVE

To describe characteristics, treatments and clinical outcomes of patients with trisomy 18 and oesophageal atresia, using a nationwide database in Japan.

DESIGN

Descriptive study using a retrospective cohort.

SETTING

A nationwide inpatient database including 90% of hospitals with neonatal intensive care units in Japan.

PATIENTS

Patients hospitalised within a day after birth for both oesophageal atresia and trisomy 18 between July 2010 and March 2020.

INTERVENTIONS

Radical surgery for oesophageal atresia.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Characteristics, treatment course and outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 271 patients with both oesophageal atresia and trisomy 18, 70 patients underwent radical surgery for oesophageal atresia. Patients who underwent radical surgery were less likely to have severe cardiac anomalies (17% vs 32%; p=0.020), but more likely to undergo cardiac surgery (21% vs 9.5%; p=0.012) than those who did not. The overall in-hospital mortality was lower (54% vs 79%; p<0.001) and the median age at death was higher (210 days vs 39 days; p<0.001) in patients who underwent radical surgery than the others. Postoperative mortality within 30 days after radical surgery was 5.7%. Patients who underwent radical surgery were likely to be discharged to home (50% vs 18%; p<0.001), whereas the age at home discharge (median 314 days vs 216 days; p=0.19) and the requirement for each home treatment did not differ significantly by radical surgery.

CONCLUSION

This study provides information that will aid the clinical decision-making process for patients with oesophageal atresia and trisomy 18. Radical surgery may be a safe and feasible treatment option.

Ethical and Legal Issues Surrounding Genetic Testing in the NICU

Clinicians practicing in a modern NICU are noticing an increase in the proportion of patients who undergo genetic testing as well as changes in the types of genetic testing patients receive. These trends are not surprising given the increasing recognition of the genetic causes of neonatal illness and recent advances in genetic technology. Yet, the expansion of genetic testing in the NICU also raises a number of ethical questions. In this article, we will review the ethical issues raised by genetic testing, with a focus on the practical implications for neonatologists. First, we outline the complexities of measuring benefit, or utility, for neonatal genetic testing. Next, we discuss potential harms such as inequity, unexpected findings, disability biases, and legal risks. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of ethical issues related to consent for genetic testing. Throughout this article, we highlight solutions to challenges toward the ultimate goal of minimizing harms and maximizing the substantial potential benefits of genetic medicine in the NICU.

Trisomy 13 with retroiliac ureter diagnosed by assessment for recurrent febrile urinary tract infections

Introduction

Patients with trisomy 13 have multiple malformations, including urological anomalies, and severe cognitive and psychomotor disabilities. We conducted a ureteroureterostomy for a mid-ureteral stricture due to a retroiliac ureter in a patient with trisomy 13.

Case presentation

A 6-month-old girl with trisomy 13 developed a urinary tract infection. Computed tomography for assessing recurrent urinary tract infection revealed a left mid-ureteral stricture due to the retroiliac ureter. At the age of 2, a ureteroureterostomy was performed. Two years after surgery, the urinary tract infection did not recur.

Conclusion

Ureteroureterostomy is a safe procedure for children with trisomy 13 and multiple comorbidities. Surgical treatment should be considered for patients with trisomy 13 when agreed upon by the family and comorbidities are well-controlled.

Contemporary Trends in Cardiac Surgical Care for Trisomy 13 and 18 Patients Admitted to Hospitals in the United States

OBJECTIVE

To assess rates of cardiac surgery and the clinical and demographic features that influence surgical vs nonsurgical treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD) in patients with trisomy 13 (T13) and trisomy 18 (T18) in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective study was performed using the Pediatric Health Information System. All hospital admissions of children (<18 years of age) with T13 and T18 in the United States were identified from 2003 through 2022. International Classifications of Disease (ICD) codes were used to identify presence of CHD, extracardiac comorbidities/malformations, and performance of cardiac surgery.

RESULTS

Seven thousand one hundred thirteen patients were identified. CHD was present in 62% (1625/2610) of patients with T13 and 73% (3288/4503) of patients with T18. The most common CHD morphologies were isolated atrial/ventricular septal defects (T13 40%, T18 42%) and aortic hypoplasia/coarctation (T13 21%, T18 23%). Single-ventricle morphologies comprised 6% (100/1625) of the T13 and 5% (167/3288) of the T18 CHD cohorts. Surgery was performed in 12% of patients with T13 plus CHD and 17% of patients with T18 plus CHD. For all cardiac diagnoses, <50% of patients received surgery. Nonsurgical patients were more likely to be born prematurely (P < .05 for T13 and T18). The number of extracardiac comorbidities was similar between surgical/nonsurgical patients with T13 (median 2 vs 2, P = .215) and greater in surgical vs nonsurgical patients with T18 (median 3 vs 2, P < .001). Hospital mortality was <10% for both surgical cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with T13 or T18 and CHD receive surgical palliation, but at a low prevalence (≤17%) nationally. Given operative mortality <10%, opportunity exists perhaps for quality improvement in the performance of cardiac surgery for these vulnerable patient populations.

Causes of death in individuals with trisomy 18 after the first year of life

Mortality in individuals with trisomy 18 has significantly decreased over the past 20 years, but there is scant literature addressing the prognosis and cause of death in individuals with trisomy 18 and survival past the first year of life (YOL). This study analyzed factors associated with mortality and cause of death in a retrospective cohort of 174 individuals with trisomy 18 and survival past the first YOL, the largest such series to date. Data were collected via retrospective survey of parents of affected individuals. Prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18; postnatal respiratory distress; maternal age > 35 years; birthweight <2000 g; brain and spinal cord defect(s); atrial and/or ventricular septal defect(s); inability to feed orally without medical assistance; and failure to meet sitting and rolling milestones were associated with mortality in this sample. Cause of death was compared between our cohort of individuals with trisomy 18 and existing literature on those with mortality before the first YOL. Individuals with trisomy 18 with mortality after the first YOL demonstrated a predominance of infectious (n = 10/22) and postoperative (n = 6/22) contributing causes of death, in contrast to the existing literature, which shows a predominance of cardiopulmonary causes of death (e.g., cardiopulmonary arrest, pulmonary hypertension). These findings demonstrate that individuals with trisomy 18 and survival past the first YOL have unique medical needs, but further research is needed to develop clinical guidelines for this growing population.

Louis AM, Agopian AJ. Scientific impact of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network multistate collaborative publications

BACKGROUND

Given the lack of a national, population-based birth defects surveillance program in the United States, the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) has facilitated important studies on surveillance, research, and prevention of major birth defects. We sought to summarize NBDPN peer-reviewed publications and their impact.

METHODS

We obtained and reviewed a curated list of 49 NBDPN multistate collaborative publications during 2000-2022, as of December 31, 2022. Each publication was reviewed and classified by type (e.g., risk factor association analysis). Key characteristics of study populations and analytic approaches used, along with publication impact (e.g., number of citations), were tabulated.

RESULTS

NBDPN publications focused on prevalence estimates (N = 17), surveillance methods (N = 11), risk factor associations (N = 10), mortality and other outcomes among affected individuals (N = 6), and descriptive epidemiology of various birth defects (N = 5). The most cited publications were those that reported on prevalence estimates for a spectrum of defects and those that assessed changes in neural tube defects (NTD) prevalence following mandatory folic acid fortification in the United States.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from multistate NBDPN publications have provided critical information not available through other sources, including US prevalence estimates of major birth defects, folic acid fortification and NTD prevention, and improved understanding of defect trends and surveillance efforts. Until a national birth defects surveillance program is established in the United States, NBDPN collaborative publications remain an important resource for investigating birth defects and informing decisions related to health services planning of secondary disabilities prevention and care.

Derivation and Validation of a General Predictive Model for Long Term Risks for Mortality and Invasive Interventions in Congenital and Acquired Cardiac Conditions Encountered in the Young

Accurate prognostic assessment is a key driver of clinical decision making in heart disease in the young (HDY). This investigation aims to derive, validate, and calibrate multivariable predictive models for time to surgical or catheter-mediated intervention (INT) and for time to death in HDY. 4108 unique subjects were prospectively and consecutively enrolled, and randomized to derivation and validation cohorts. Total follow-up was 26,578 patient-years, with 102 deaths and 868 INTs. Accelerated failure time multivariable predictive models for the outcomes, based on primary and secondary diagnoses, pathophysiologic severity, age, sex, genetic comorbidities, and prior interventional history, were derived using piecewise exponential methodology. Model predictions were validated, calibrated, and evaluated for sensitivity to changes in the independent variables. Model validity was excellent for predicting mortality and INT at 4 months, 1, 5, 10, and 22 years (areas under receiver operating characteristic curves 0.813-0.915). Model calibration was better for INT than for mortality. Age, sex, and genetic comorbidities were significant independent factors, but predicted outcomes were most sensitive to variations in composite predictors incorporating primary diagnosis, pathophysiologic severity, secondary diagnosis, and prior intervention. Despite 22 years of data acquisition, no significant cohort effects were identified in which predicted mortality and intervention varied by study entry date. A piecewise exponential model predicting survival and freedom from INT is derived which demonstrates excellent validity, and performs well on a clinical sample of HDY outpatients. Objective model-based predictions could educate both patient and provider, and inform clinical decision making in HDY.

Economic cost of patients with trisomy 13, 18, and 21 in a tertiary hospital in Thailand

The purpose of this study was to determine direct and indirect costs of patients with trisomy (T) 13, 18, and 21 in Thailand. Direct medical costs were obtained from Siriraj Informatics and Data Innovation Center (SiData+), Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, and indirect costs were estimated using a human capital approach. About 241 patients with T21 had outpatient care visits and 124 patients received inpatient care. For T13 and T18, five and seven patients were analyzed for outpatient and inpatient cares, respectively. For patients with T13, T18, and T21 receiving outpatient care, total annual mean direct medical costs ranged from 183.2 USD to 655.2 USD. For inpatient care, average yearly direct medical costs varied between 2,507 USD to 14,790 USD. The mean and median increased with age. In outpatient care, costs associated with drugs and medical devices were a major factor for both T13 and T21 patients, whereas laboratory costs were substantial for T18 patients. For inpatient care, costs of drug and medical devices were the greatest for T13 patients, while service fee and operation costs were the highest for T18 and T21 patients, respectively. For outpatient care, adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) had significantly higher mean annual direct medical costs than those without CHD. However, all adult and pediatric patients with CHD receiving inpatient care had significantly higher costs. Patients with T13, T18, and T21 had relative lifetime costs of 22,715 USD, 11,924 USD, and 1,022,830 USD, respectively.

Wilms Tumor in Child With Trisomy 18 and Horseshoe Kidney

Trisomy 18 is associated with several congenital malformations, including horseshoe kidney. It can be full, partial, or mosaic, and mosaicism is often associated with lesser severity and longer life expectancy, placing patients at greater risk of developing neoplasms or malignancies. One common tumor among children with Trisomy 18 is Wilms tumor, which is also associated with renal congenital abnormalities such as horseshoe kidney. We present a case describing the occurrence of these three characteristics: development of Wilms tumor in a patient with Trisomy 18 and a horseshoe kidney and discuss treatment with regards to these conditions.

Lactation Support as a Proxy Measure of Family-Centered Care Quality in Neonates with Life-Limiting Conditions-A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND

Lactation support is an important measure of Family-Centered Care (FCC) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Life-limiting conditions (LLCs) raise complex ethical care issues for providers and parents in the NICU and represent a key and often overlooked population for whom FCC is particularly important. We investigated healthcare disparities in FCC lactation support quality in infants with LLCs.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of inborn infants with or without LLCs admitted to the NICU between 2015-2023 included 395 infants with 219 LLC infants and 176 matched non-LLC infants and were compared on LLC supports.

RESULTS

The LLC cohort experienced greater skin-to-skin support, but less lactation specialist visits, breast pumps provided, and human milk oral care use. LLC infants also experienced less maternal visitation, use of donor milk (LLC: 15.5%, non-LLC: 33.5%), and breastfeeds (LLC: 24.2%, non-LLC: 43.2%), with lower mean human milk provision (LLC: 36.6%, non-LLC: 67.1%). LLC infants who survived to discharge had similar human milk use as non-LLC infants (LLC: 49.8%, non-LLC: 50.6%).

CONCLUSION

Lactation support was significantly absent for families and infants who presented with LLCs in the NICU, suggesting that policies can be altered to increase lactation support FCC quality for this population.

Structured Framework for Multidisciplinary Parent Counseling and Medical Interventions for Fetuses and Infants with Trisomy 13 or Trisomy 18

OBJECTIVE

 Trisomy 13 (T13) and 18 (T18) are aneuploidies associated with multiple structural congenital anomalies and high rates of fetal demise and neonatal mortality. Historically, patients with either one of these diagnoses have been treated similarly with exclusive comfort care rather than invasive interventions or intensive care, despite a wide phenotypic variation and substantial variations in survival length. However, surgical interventions have been on the rise in this population in recent years without clearly elucidated selection criterion. Our objective was to create a standardized approach to counseling expectant persons and parents of newborns with T13/T18 in order to provide collaborative and consistent counseling and thoughtful approach to interventions such as surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

 This article describes our process and presents our resulting clinical care guideline.

RESULTS

 We formed a multi- and interdisciplinary committee. We used published literature when available and otherwise expert opinion to develop an approach to care featuring individualized assessment of the patient to estimate qualitative mortality risk and potential to benefit from intensive care and/or surgeries centered within an ethical framework.

CONCLUSION

 Through multidisciplinary collaboration, we successfully created a patient-centered approach for counseling families facing a diagnosis of T13/T18. Other institutions may use our approach as a model for developing their own standardized approach.

KEY POINTS

· Trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 are associated with high but variable morbidity and mortality.. · Research on which patients are most likely to benefit from surgery is lacking.. · We present our institution's framework to counsel families with fetal/neonatal T13/T18..

Otolaryngologic Manifestations of Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18 in Pediatric Patients

OBJECTIVE

The survival rate of patients with trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 has increased dramatically over the past two decades. We sought to comprehensively describe the otolaryngologic clinical characteristics and procedures required for these patients at our institution.

METHODS

We performed algorithmic identification of patients with a diagnosis of trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 for whom the otolaryngology service provided inpatient or outpatient care at our institution between the dates of February 1997 and March 2021.

RESULTS

Of the 47 patients studied, 18 patients had a diagnosis of trisomy 13, and 29 had a diagnosis of trisomy 18. Complete trisomy was present in 44% (8/18) of trisomy 13 patients and 55% (16/29) of trisomy 18 patients. 81% of patients were living at the time of the study. About 94% (44/47) of patients required consultation with another specialty in addition to Otolaryngology. Overall, the most common diagnoses among this cohort were gastroesophageal reflux disease (47%), dysphagia (40%), otitis media (38%), and obstructive sleep apnea (34%). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of patients studied required an otolaryngologic procedure. The most common surgical procedure was tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy. Patients with trisomy 18 were significantly more likely to have external auditory canal stenosis and obstructive sleep apnea whereas patients with trisomy 13 were more likely to have cleft lip and palate.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18 often require multidisciplinary management and the range of required care spans the breadth of otolaryngology.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 133:1501-1506, 2023.

Survival of children with trisomy 18 associated with the presence of congenital heart disease and intervention in the Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND

Trisomy 18 syndrome (T18) is the second most common autosomal trisomy and has a high risk of fetal loss and stillbirth. Aggressive surgical treatments for the respiratory, cardiac, or digestive systems of patients with T18 were previously futile, while the results of recent studies are controversial. Over the past decade, there have been approximately 300,000 to 400,000 births annually in the Republic of Korea; however, there have been no nationwide studies on T18. This nationwide retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the prevalence of T18 in Korea and its prognosis according to the presence of congenital heart disease and relevant interventions.

METHODS

This study utilized NHIS-registered data between 2008 and 2017. A child was defined as having T18 if the ICD-10 revision code Q91.0-3 was reported. Subgroup analysis was performed for children with congenital heart diseases, and survival rates were compared based on the history of cardiac surgical or catheter interventions. The primary outcomes in this study were the survival rate during the first hospitalization period and the 1-year survival rate.

RESULTS

Of the children born between 2008 and 2017, 193 were diagnosed with T18. Of these, 86 died, with a median survival of 127 days. The 1-year survival rate for children with T18 was 63.2%. The survival rate in the first admission of children with T18 who did and did not have congenital heart disease was 58.3% and 94.1%, respectively. Children with heart disease who underwent surgical or catheter intervention had a longer survival time than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest these data could be used in ante- and postnatal counseling. Ethical concerns about the prolonged survival of children with T18 remain; however, the potential benefits of interventions for congenital heart disease in this population need further study.

Seizures in trisomy 18: Prevalence, description, and treatment

Changes in medical intervention over the last decade have improved outcomes for individuals with trisomy 18, the second most common human aneuploidy syndrome at birth. As children with trisomy 18 live longer, a shared concern of medical experts and parents is the occurrence and treatment of seizures. Previously published surveillance guidelines for this condition have not addressed seizure management. Using parent-reported data collected as part of the Tracking Rare Incidence Syndromes project, we report on the prevalence, course, and management of seizures in individuals with trisomy 18. Twenty-eight percent (52/186) of individuals diagnosed with trisomy 18 in our retrospective cohort experienced generalized, focal, or mixed seizures at some point in their lifetime. For many individuals, seizures were effectively managed by broad-spectrum anti-seizure medications. Correlation analysis showed that focal and generalized seizures were more likely to occur in individuals who had previously experienced infantile spasms or central apnea. Electroencephalogram testing should be considered as part of a standard screening approach in individuals with trisomy 18 to enable early diagnosis and treatment of seizures. An international registry that incorporates parent-reported and clinical data for patients with trisomy 18 may facilitate ongoing research and recruitment into clinical trials for seizure management.

Identification of Extremely Rare Pathogenic CNVs by Array CGH in Saudi Children with Developmental Delay, Congenital Malformations, and Intellectual Disability

Chromosomal imbalance is implicated in developmental delay (DD), congenital malformations (CM), and intellectual disability (ID), and, thus, precise identification of copy number variations (CNVs) is essential. We therefore aimed to investigate the genetic heterogeneity in Saudi children with DD/CM/ID. High-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) was used to detect disease-associated CNVs in 63 patients. Quantitative PCR was done to confirm the detected CNVs. Giemsa banding-based karyotyping was also performed. Array CGH identified chromosomal abnormalities in 24 patients; distinct pathogenic and/or variants of uncertain significance CNVs were found in 19 patients, and aneuploidy was found in 5 patients including 47,XXY (n = 2), 45,X (n = 2) and a patient with trisomy 18 who carried a balanced Robertsonian translocation. CNVs including 9p24p13, 16p13p11, 18p11 had gains/duplications and CNVs, including 3p23p14, 10q26, 11p15, 11q24q25, 13q21.1q32.1, 16p13.3p11.2, and 20q11.1q13.2, had losses/deletions only, while CNVs including 8q24, 11q12, 15q25q26, 16q21q23, and 22q11q13 were found with both gains or losses in different individuals. In contrast, standard karyotyping detected chromosomal abnormalities in ten patients. The diagnosis rate of array CGH (28%, 18/63 patients) was around two-fold higher than that of conventional karyotyping (15.87%, 10/63 patients). We herein report, for the first time, the extremely rare pathogenic CNVs in Saudi children with DD/CM/ID. The reported prevalence of CNVs in Saudi Arabia adds value to clinical cytogenetics.

Ten-year survival of children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18: a multi-registry European cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the survival to 10 years of age of children with trisomy 13 (T13) and children with trisomy 18 (T18), born 1995-2014.

DESIGN

Population-based cohort study that linked mortality data to data on children born with T13 or T18, including translocations and mosaicisms, from 13 member registries of EUROCAT, a European network for the surveillance of congenital anomalies.

SETTING

13 regions in nine Western European countries.

PATIENTS

252 live births with T13 and 602 with T18.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Survival at 1 week, 4 weeks and 1, 5 and 10 years of age estimated by random-effects meta-analyses of registry-specific Kaplan-Meier survival estimates.

RESULTS

Survival estimates of children with T13 were 34% (95% CI 26% to 46%), 17% (95% CI 11% to 29%) and 11% (95% CI 6% to 18%) at 4 weeks, 1 and 10 years, respectively. The corresponding survival estimates were 38% (95% CI 31% to 45%), 13% (95% CI 10% to 17%) and 8% (95% CI 5% to 13%) for children with T18. The 10-year survival conditional on surviving to 4 weeks was 32% (95% CI 23% to 41%) and 21% (95% CI 15% to 28%) for children with T13 and T18, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This multi-registry European study found that despite extremely high neonatal mortality in children with T13 and T18, 32% and 21%, respectively, of those who survived to 4 weeks were likely to survive to age 10 years. These reliable survival estimates are useful to inform counselling of parents after prenatal diagnosis.

Conducta médica frente al diagnóstico prenatal de trisomía 18: ¿se aproxima un cambio de paradigma?

El objetivo del trabajo es analizar dos conductas médicas opuestas en la vida prenatal de los niños con trisomía 18: el aborto y los cuidados paliativos perinatales. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en PubMed a partir de los términos “trisomy 18”, “abortion” y “palliative care”. Actualmente, están cambiando las conductas médicas dirigidas a los niños nacidos con trisomía 18, debido a que ya no se la considera una enfermedad incompatible con la vida. Este cambio de paradigma en la conducta médica posnatal debería reflejarse en la conducta prenatal, para ofrecer a los padres alternativas distintas al aborto. Los cuidados paliativos fetales y perinatales constituyen una respuesta ética válida para el tratamiento de niños con trisomía 18.

Surgical outcomes in children with Trisomy 13: An ACS NSQIP - Pediatric review

BACKGROUND

Trisomy 13 is a rare genetic condition with a characteristic set of severe congenital abnormalities. Traditionally, the standard of care was to provide palliative care only. However, there has been a recent shift towards life-prolonging care, including surgery. This study seeks to describe surgical outcomes in patients with trisomy 13 and compare them to comorbidity-matched controls.

METHODS

Using the ACS NSQIP Pediatric 2012-2019 Participant Use Data Files, patients with trisomy 13 were identified and described. A nearest-neighbor 10:1 propensity score match was performed using demographics, comorbidities, and procedural details. This yielded 254 patients with trisomy 13 and 2,422 controls. Risk ratios for morbidity and mortality by trisomy 13 status were determined using modified Poisson regression. The primary outcomes were thirty-day mortality and the occurrence of any morbidity.

RESULTS

The median age of patients with trisomy 13 was 16 months (IQR 87 months). 126 were male (49.6%) and 128 were female (50.4%). There were no differences in overall morbidity compared to controls (31.8% vs. 29.7%, RR 1.06, 95%CI 0.87-1.28, p = 0.554), but patients with trisomy 13 had markedly higher mortality (7.9% vs. 1.8%, RR 4.43, 95%CI 2.28-8.61, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that patients with trisomy 13 undergoing surgery have frequent morbidity and an elevated although not prohibitive risk of death. Compared to patients with similar comorbidities, they have similar rates of morbidity but a markedly higher risk of mortality. Parents of children with trisomy 13 require thorough counseling on these risks before deciding on surgery.

Impact of Genetic Disorders in the Surgical Management of Congenital Heart Disease

The congenital heart surgeon frequently encounters patients with various genetic disorders requiring surgical intervention. Although the specifics of the genetics for these patients and their families lie in the purview of specialists in genetics, the surgeon is well-served to be familiar with aspects of specific syndromes that impact surgical management and perioperative care. This aids in counseling families in expectations for the hospital course and recovery as well as can impact intraoperative and surgical management. This review article summarizes key characteristics for the congenital heart surgeon to be familiar with for common genetic disorders as they help coordinate care.

Trisomy 13: Survival beyond the NICU

Trisomy 13 is the third most common autosomal aneuploidy disorder and is associated with a number of congenital malformations. Survival of infants with trisomy 13 has improved over time as life-prolonging technological interventions are more commonly offered. In this article, we describe the course of a child with trisomy 13 who has been followed at our hospital since infancy and explore the changing landscape of care for children with trisomy 13.

Survival rates and outcomes of pregnancies with prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18: A 16-year experience from a public hospital in South Africa

OBJECTIVE

Many studies, largely from high-income countries (HIC), have reported outcomes in babies with trisomy 18 (T18), with a paucity of data from Africa. Knowledge of outcomes is important in counselling women prenatally diagnosed with T18. We aimed to review all prenatally diagnosed cases of T18 between January 2006 and December 2021.

METHOD

Demographic data, diagnosis, gestation and outcome data were obtained from the Astraia® database and patient files.

RESULTS

We included 88 pregnant women of whom 46 terminated their pregnancies (30 beyond 24 weeks' gestation). Three underwent foeticides, one had a caesarean section for maternal obstetric reasons and 26 underwent inductions of labour without foetal monitoring. Four neonates were live born but none lived >8 h. In those who continued their pregnancies, the mean gestation at delivery was 34.8 weeks, 14 (33%) were live births and only 5 survived for >24 h with none surviving to 1 year of life.

CONCLUSION

In our cohort, infants with T18 had lower live birth rates and shorter survival than in the current literature from HIC. This may be due to the implementation of non-aggressive intrapartum care and comfort care for the neonates. This has implications for counselling in our setting.

Expanding neonatal ECMO criteria: When is the premature neonate too premature

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a universally accepted and life-saving therapy for neonates with respiratory or cardiac failure that is refractory to maximal medical management. Early studies found unacceptable risks of mortality and morbidities such as intracranial hemorrhage among premature and low birthweight neonates, leading to widely accepted ECMO inclusion criteria of gestational age ≥34 weeks and birthweight >2 kg. Although contemporary data is lacking, the most recent literature demonstrates increased survival and decreased rates of intracranial hemorrhage in premature neonates who are supported with ECMO. As such, it seems like the right time to push the boundaries of ECMO on a case-by-case basis beginning with neonates 32-34 weeks GA in large volume centers with careful neurodevelopmental follow-up to better inform practices changes on this select population.

Surgical history and outcomes in trisomy 13 and 18: A thirty-year review

BACKGROUND

Patients with Trisomy 13(T13) and 18(T18) have many comorbidities that may require surgical intervention. However, surgical care and outcomes are not well described, making patient selection and family counseling difficult. Here the surgical history and outcomes of T13/ T18 patients are explored.

METHODS

A retrospective review of patients with T13 or T18 born between 1990 and 2020 and cared for at a tertiary children's hospital (Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis IN) was conducted, excluding those with insufficient records. Primary outcomes of interest were rates of mortality overall and after surgery. Factors that could predict mortality outcomes were also assessed.

RESULTS

One-hundred-seventeen patients were included, with 65% T18 and 35% T13. More than half of patients(65%) had four or more comorbidities. Most deaths occurred by three months at median 42.0 days. Variants of classic trisomies (mosaicism, translocation, partial duplication; p = 0.001), higher birth weight(p = 0.002), and higher gestational age(p = 0.01) were associated with lower overall mortality, while cardiac(p = 0.002) disease was associated with higher mortality. Over half(n = 64) underwent surgery at median age 65 days at time of first procedure. The most common surgical procedures were general surgical. Median survival times were longer in surgical rather than nonsurgical patients(p<0.001). Variant trisomy genetics(p = 0.002) was associated with lower mortality after surgery, while general surgical comorbidities(p = 0.02), particularly tracheoesophageal fistula/esophageal atresia(p = 0.02), were associated with increased mortality after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Trisomy 13 and 18 patients have vast surgical needs. Variant trisomy was associated with lower mortality after surgery while general surgical comorbidities were associated with increased mortality after surgery. Those who survived to undergo surgery survived longer overall.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Cardiac surgery in children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18: How safe is it?

Objective

Surgery for heart defects in children with trisomy 13 or 18 is controversial. We analyzed our 20-year experience.

Methods

Since 2002, we performed 21 operations in 19 children with trisomy 13 (n = 8) or trisomy 18 (n = 11). Age at operation was 4 days to 12 years (median, 154 days). Principal diagnosis was ventricular septal defect in 10 patients, tetralogy of Fallot in 7 patients, arch hypoplasia in 1 patient, and patent ductus arteriosus in 1 patient.

Results

The initial operation was ventricular septal defect closure in 9 patients, tetralogy of Fallot repair in 7 patients, pulmonary artery banding in 1 patient, patent ductus arteriosus ligation in 1 patient, and aortic arch/coarctation repair in 1 patient. There were no operative or hospital deaths. Median postoperative intensive care and hospital stays were 189 hours (interquartile range, 70-548) and 14 days (interquartile range, 8.0-37.0), respectively, compared with median hospital stays in our center for ventricular septal defect repair of 4.0 days and tetralogy of Fallot repair of 5.0 days. On median follow-up of 17.4 months (interquartile range, 6.0-68), 1 patient was lost to follow-up after 5 months. Two patients had reoperation without mortality. There have been 5 late deaths (4 with trisomy 18, 1 with trisomy 13) predominately due to respiratory failure from 4 months to 9.4 years postoperatively. Five-year survival was 66.6% compared with 24% in a group of unoperated patients with trisomy 13 or 18.

Conclusions

Cardiac operation with an emphasis on complete repair can be performed safely in carefully selected children with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18. Hospital resource use measured by postoperative intensive care and hospital stays is considerably greater compared with nontrisomy 13 and 18.

Young adolescent with trisomy 13

A young adolescent girl with trisomy 13 was admitted twice to the paediatric department: the first time because of haematocolpos due to uterus didelphys and unilateral transverse vaginal septum, and the second time because of heart failure due to ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm. As a consequence of the historical early high mortality rate in trisomy 13, we are not aware of known complications in older patients. With better survival nowadays through childhood, we advise structural ultrasonographic cardiac and female genital screening in trisomy 13 patients reaching adolescent age.

Hepatoblastoma in molecularly defined, congenital diseases

Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum, Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis and trisomy 18 are the most common congenital conditions associated with an increased incidence of hepatoblastoma (HB). In patients with these genetic disorders, screening protocols for HB are proposed that include periodic abdominal ultrasound and measurement of alpha-fetoprotein levels. Surveillance in these children may contribute to the early detection of HB and possibly improve their chances of overall survival. Therefore, physicians must be aware of the high HB incidence in children with certain predisposing genetic diseases.

Outcome after Prenatal Diagnosis of Trisomy 13, 18, and 21 in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease

Fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) is often associated with chromosomal abnormalities. Our primary aim was to assess stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates for pregnancies complicated by trisomies 13, 18, and 21 in the presence of CHD, from a single tertiary referral center during 2000-2020 in a retrospective cohort study. The secondary aims were to investigate maternal morbidity in these pregnancies, and to study the gestational or neonatal age when mortality occurred. Inclusion criteria were the prenatal diagnosis of at least one structural CHD, together with prenatally diagnosed fetal trisomy 13, 18, or 21. One-hundred and sixty patients with fetal trisomy 13 (14.4%), fetal trisomy 18 (28.8%), and fetal trisomy 21 (56.9%) were evaluated. In total, 98 (61.3%) families opted for the termination of pregnancy (TOP). Of the remaining 62 (38.8%) pregnancies, 16 (25.8%) resulted in intrauterine fetal death/death during delivery. Ten out of twenty-one (47.6%) infants with trisomy 13 or 18 were born alive. The livebirth rate was 87.8% (36/41) for infants with trisomy 21. Early neonatal death was observed in nine (19.6%) infants. Thirty-one (86.1%) infants with trisomy 21 survived the first year of life. These data may be helpful for counseling affected parents when the decision to terminate or continue the pregnancy should be considered.

Attitudes of Argentinean Neonatologists toward Resuscitation of Infants with Trisomies 21, 18, and 13: A Multicenter Survey

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to explore the attitude of Argentinean neonatologists in the delivery room on resuscitating infants with trisomies.

STUDY DESIGN

An anonymous questionnaire was completed by neonatologists staffing level-III neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) on resuscitation of children with trisomies 21, 18, and 13. Potential sociocultural factors influencing the decision to resuscitate were included.

RESULTS

Overall, 314 neonatologists in 34 units in the Buenos Aires region participated (response rate of 54%). The position of neonatologists regarding the resuscitation in the delivery room was that 98% would resuscitate newborns with trisomy 21, and 47% with trisomy 18 or trisomy 13. Resuscitation of newborns with trisomy 18 or trisomy 13 by neonatologists was significantly associated with working in the public sector, religious beliefs, and legal framework.

CONCLUSION

With improvement in the management and treatment of infants with trisomies 18 and 13, Argentinean neonatologists showed a favorable attitude toward resuscitating them in the delivery room.

KEY POINTS

· We explored the attitudes of Argentinean neonatologists on resuscitation of children with trisomies.. · Half of neonatologists would resuscitate newborns with trisomies18 and 13.. · These results suggest an ongoing paradigm shift of the most severe trisomies..

Perinatal Outcomes of Fetuses and Infants Diagnosed with Trisomy 13 or Trisomy 18

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors associated with prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal outcomes, and determine medical care use for fetuses and infants with trisomy 13 (T13) and trisomy 18 (T18).

STUDY DESIGN

This population-based retrospective cohort study included all prenatal and postnatal diagnoses of T13 or T18 in the greater Cincinnati area from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2018. Overall survival, survival to hospital discharge, medical management, and maternal, fetal, and neonatal characteristics are analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 124 pregnancies (125 fetuses) that were identified, which resulted in 72 liveborn infants. Male fetal sex and hydrops were associated with a higher rate of spontaneous loss. The median length of survival was 7 and 29 days, for infants with T13 and T18, respectively. Of the 27 infants alive at 1 month of age, 13 (48%) were alive at 1 year of age. Only trisomy type (T13), goals of care (comfort care), and extremely low birthweight were associated with a shorter length of survival. A high degree of variability existed in the use of medical services, with 28% of infants undergoing at least 1 surgical procedure and some children requiring repeated (≤29) or prolonged (>1 year) hospitalizations.

CONCLUSIONS

Although many infants with T13 or T18 did not survive past the first week of life, nearly 20% lived for more than 1 year with varying degrees of medical support. The length of survival for an infant cannot be easily predicted, and surviving infants have high health care use throughout their lifespans.

Trisomy 18-when the diagnosis is compatible with life

Trisomy 18 is an autosomal chromosomal disorder characterized by the presence of an extra 18 chromosome. In the last decades, and as novel therapeutic options emerged, a paradigm shift on the treatments available to these children occurred, establishing the need to deepen the knowledge regarding the management/treatment of children diagnosed with trisomy 18. This retrospective cohort study sought to characterize the clinical path and survival of the children with the diagnosis of trisomy 18 followed in a tertiary pediatric hospital between 1995 and 2020. Medical records were reviewed, and epidemiological and clinical features and follow-up data were collected. Six patients were identified, two with mosaicism (33.3%) and four were female (66.7%). All had cardiovascular, cognitive, and physical development anomalies or minor congenital anomalies. Most presented neurological anomalies (n = 4, 66.7%) and feeding difficulties (n = 4, 66.7%). Four children (66.7%) required medical devices or equipment and all required chronic medication. Two children (33.3%) underwent surgical interventions. Four children (66.7%) were hospitalized in the last year of life. Three patients had a do not resuscitate order (50%) but only one child was referred to a pediatric palliative care team (16.7%). One-month, 1-year, and 10-year survival were 66.7% (n = 4), 33.3% (n = 2, both with mosaicism), and 16.7% (n = 1, with mosaicism) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of the multiple comorbidities and complex care needs of children with this syndrome is crucial. Every-day care and decisions about invasive treatments may raise ethical issues. Early referral to pediatric palliative care teams is essential to promote a holistic advanced care plan for both the patient and his family.

WHAT IS KNOWN

• The increase in survival and the high morbimortality that trisomy 18 still entails demands a careful deliberation on the use of invasive treatment.

WHAT IS NEW

• Recent studies show that the labels of "incompatible with life"/"lethal" are not adequate, establishing a need to change this mindset. • The development of pediatric palliative care teams in the last decade and early referral allow for an optimal individualized advanced care plan. Under-referral to pediatric palliative care teams persists and efforts must be made to increase awareness of their existence and role in patient care.

Discipline-Specific Perspectives on Caring for Babies with Trisomy 13 or 18 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVE

Care offerings vary across medical settings and between families for babies with trisomy 13 or 18. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore nurse, advanced practice practitioner, and neonatologist perspectives on care for babies with trisomy 13 or 18 in the intensive care unit.

STUDY DESIGN

Voice-recorded qualitative interviews occurred with 64 participants (41 bedside nurses, 14 advance practice practitioners, and 9 neonatologists) from two neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in the midwestern United States. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines were followed. Content analyses occurred utilizing MAXQDA (VERBI Software, 2020).

RESULTS

Over half of NICU staff perceived care for babies with trisomy 13 or 18 as different from care for other babies with critical chronic illness. Qualitative themes included internal conflict, variable presentation and prognosis, grappling with uncertainty, family experiences, and provision of meaningful care. Neonatologists emphasized the variability of presentation and prognosis, while nurses emphasized provision of meaningful care. Phrases "hard/difficult" were spoken 31 times; primarily describing the comorbidities, complexities, and prognostic uncertainty.

CONCLUSION

Care for babies with these genetic diagnoses reveals need for a shared dialogue not only with families but also across staff disciplines. While perspectives differ, participants depicted striving to offer compassionate, family-centered care while also balancing biomedical uncertainty about interventions for children with trisomy 13 and 18.

KEY POINTS

· Care for babies with trisomy 13 or 18 has been recognized as shifting.. · Controversy exists across the diverse and changing range of care models.. · This study describes perspectives of bedside neonatal nurses, advanced practitioners, and neonatologists.. · Differences in perspectives warrant attentiveness to insights and dialogue across disciplines..

Association of Birth Defects With Child Mortality Before Age 14 Years

IMPORTANCE

Causes of death in children with birth defects are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To determine mortality rates by cause of death in children with and without birth defects.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This longitudinal cohort study included a population-based sample of 1 037 688 children and was conducted in all hospitals in Quebec, Canada, with 7 700 596 person-years of follow-up between birth and age 14 years (April 1, 2006, to March 31, 2020).

EXPOSURES

Presence or absence of a birth defect.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were computed for the association between birth defects and mortality with Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for patient characteristics.

RESULTS

Among the 1 037 688 children in the cohort, 95 566 had birth defects (56.5% boys). There were 532 542 boys in the cohort (51.3%), and mean (SD) age at the end of follow-up was 7.42 (3.72) years. There were 918 deaths among children with defects, and the mean (SD) age was 0.93 (2.07) years at death; there were 1082 deaths among the 942 122 children without defects, and the mean (SD) age at death was 0.50 (1.51) years. Mortality rates were higher for children with birth defects compared with no defect (1.3 vs 0.2 deaths per 1000 person-years, respectively). Girls (HR, 5.66; 95% CI, 4.96-6.47) and boys (HR, 4.69; 95% CI, 4.15-5.29) with birth defects had an elevated risk of death before 14 years compared with unaffected children. Birth defects were associated with mortality from circulatory (HR, 26.59; 95% CI, 17.73-39.87), respiratory (HR, 23.03; 95% CI, 15.09-35.14), and digestive causes (HR, 31.77; 95% CI, 11.87-85.04), but anomalies were rarely listed as the cause of death. Compared with children with no defect, those with birth defects were at greatest risk of death between 28 and 364 days of life.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This cohort study of 1 037 688 children suggests that birth defects were strongly associated with mortality owing to circulatory, respiratory, and digestive causes. This finding suggests that the contribution of birth defects may be underestimated in mortality statistics.

New Challenges with Treatment Advances in Newborn Infants with Genetic Disorders and Severe Congenital Malformations

Advances in the prognosis of relevant syndromes and severe congenital malformations in infants during the last few decades have enabled the treatment and survival of an ever-increasing number of infants, whose prospects were previously judged futile by professional health care teams. This required detailed counselling for families, which frequently started before birth when a diagnosis was made using genetic testing or ultrasound. Predictions of the estimated prognosis, and frequently the more-or-less broad range of prospects, needed to include the chances of survival and data on acute and long-term morbidities. However, in the interest of a having an informed basis for parental decision-making with a professional interdisciplinary team, this process needs to acknowledge the rights of the parents for a comprehensive presentation of the expected quality of life of their child, the potential consequences for family life, and the couple’s own relationship. Besides expert advice, professional psychological and familial support is needed as a basis for a well-founded decision regarding the best treatment options for the child. It needs to be acknowledged by the professional team that the parental estimate of a “good outcome” or quality of life does not necessarily reflect the attitudes and recommendations of the professional team. Building a mutually trusting relationship is essential to avoid decision conflicts.

Prognostic factors, psychomotor development and life of trisomy 13 patients

BACKGROUND

Infants with trisomy 13 have a very high mortality rate. However, aggressive interventions for their complications, can improve their prognosis and may, thereby, increase the number of long-term survivors with trisomy 13. To date, there is no study on the psychomotor developmental progress of patients with trisomy 13. We conducted this survey to clarify the prognostic factors, living circumstances, and developmental status of infants the trisomy 13.

METHODS

Patients with trisomy 13 who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Jichi Medical University Hospital were enrolled. Their clinical data were investigated retrospectively using clinical records.

RESULTS

Nine patients with trisomy 13 were enrolled and divided into the early death (died at <1 year) and long-term survival (survived for >1 year) groups. All the early death group patients had severe congenital heart disease. Heart failure at under 1 year of age was associated with early death. All the long-term survival group patients underwent operations (e.g. tracheostomy or gastrostomy) and all used home nursing and/or a social care service. Three patients used home mechanical ventilation. None of the patients was able to stand alone or speak intelligible words. Two patients without severe brain anomalies were able to roll over, sit up, and smile by 3 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term survivors with trisomy 13 require extensive nursing and medical care. It is important to provide medical and welfare services to reduce the burden on families. In patients without severe brain anomalies, psychomotor development may be expected. However, no clear developmental prognostic factors were found.

Prenatal Diagnosis by Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization in Fetuses with Cardiac Abnormalities

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) appear in 8–10 out of 1000 live born newborns and are one of the most common causes of deaths. In fetuses, the congenital heart defects are found even 3–5 times more often. Currently, microarray comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) is recommended by worldwide scientific organizations as a first-line test in the prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with sonographic abnormalities, especially cardiac defects. We present the results of the application of array CGH in 484 cases with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart diseases by fetal ultrasound scanning (256 isolated CHD and 228 CHD coexisting with other malformations). We identified pathogenic aberrations and likely pathogenic genetic loci for CHD in 165 fetuses and 9 copy number variants (CNVs) of unknown clinical significance. Prenatal array-CGH is a useful method allowing the identification of all unbalanced aberrations (number and structure) with a much higher resolution than the currently applied traditional assessment techniques karyotype. Due to this ability, we identified the etiology of heart defects in 37% of cases.

Improving survival in patients with trisomy 18

The effects of medical and surgical interventions on the survival of patients with trisomy 18 have been reported, leading to changes in perinatal management and decision-making. However, few studies have fully reported the recent changes in survival and treatment of trisomy 18. We examined how treatment and survival of patients with trisomy 18 have changed over a decade in a Japanese pediatric tertiary referral center. This retrospective cohort study included patients with trisomy 18 who were admitted within the first 7 days of life at the Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital between 2008 and 2017. The patients were divided into early period (EP) and late period (LP) groups based on the birth year of 2008-2012 and 2013-2017, respectively. Changes in treatment and survival rates were compared between the two groups. A total of 56 patients were studied (29 in the EP group and 27 in the LP group). One-year survival rates were 34.5% and 59.3% in the EP and LP groups, respectively. The survival to discharge rate significantly increased from 27.6% in the EP group to 81.5% in the LP group (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients receiving surgery, especially for congenital heart defects, significantly increased from 59% in the EP group to 96% in the LP group (p = 0.001). In our single-center study, survival and survival to discharge were significantly improved in patients with trisomy 18, probably because of increased rate of surgical interventions. These findings may facilitate better decision-making by patients' families and healthcare providers.

Limits of therapeutic intervention in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit in patients with major congenital anomalies in Brazil

AIM

Major congenital anomalies are an important cause of death in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Therapeutic interventions and the suspension of those already in place often raise ethical dilemmas in neonatal care.

METHODS

We analysed treatments-such as ventilatory support, vasoactive drugs, antibiotics, sedation/or analgesia, central venous access and other invasive procedures-offered up to 48 h before death to all newborns with major congenital anomalies over a 3-year period in a NICU in Brazil. We also gathered information contained in medical records concerning conversations with the families and decisions to limit therapeutic interventions.

RESULTS

We enrolled 74 newborns who were hospitalised from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017. A total of 81.1% had central venous access, 74.3% were on ventilatory support, 56.8% received antibiotics and 43.2% used some sedative/analgesic drugs in their final moments. Conversations were registered in medical records in 76% of cases, and 46% of the families chose therapeutic intervention limits. Those who chose to limit therapeutic interventions asked for less exposure to vasoactive drugs (P = 0.003) and antibiotics (P = 0.003), as well as fewer invasive procedures (P = 0.046). There was no change in ventilatory support (P = 0.66), and palliative extubation was not performed for any patient.

CONCLUSIONS

The therapeutic intervention was mainly characterised by maintenance of the current treatment when a terminal situation was identified with no introduction of new treatments that could increase suffering. The families' approach proved to be essential for making difficult decisions in the NICU.

Trisomy 18 Trends over the Last 20 Years

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the trends in hospitalizations for children with trisomy 18 over time and to determine the rate of invasive procedures on these children, using a large inpatient database.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective analysis using the Kids' Inpatient Database from 1997 to 2016 was performed for trisomy 18. We evaluated survival to discharge as well as the presence of pulmonary, skeletal, neurologic, gastrointestinal, renal, and hematologic/bleeding problems. We also searched for the following interventions, if performed: gastrostomy tube placement, tracheostomy, or cardiac procedure.

RESULTS

Over this period 10 151 admissions occurred in children with a diagnosis of trisomy 18. Between 1997 and 2016, the number of children admitted annually with trisomy 18 increased 74% from 1036 to 1798. The proportion of patients born prematurely remained stable at 14%-16% throughout the study. Gastrostomy tube placement increased 12-fold during the study period, tracheostomy increased 11-fold, and cardiac intervention increased 5-fold. The overall mortality rate decreased in those with trisomy 18 from 32% in 1997 to 21% in 2016.

CONCLUSIONS

We highlight a decreased inpatient mortality rate during the study period. The number of children undergoing interventions such as gastrostomy tube and tracheostomy increased, as did the number of children undergoing cardiac intervention. Although the number of procedures has increased with the mortality rate decreasing, it is unclear at present whether the 2 are related.

Ethical Issues at the Beginning of Life

With improvements in the survival rate of high-risk newborns, the need for ethical considerations is increasing. In the event of a conflict of opinion between the parents and the medical staff about the treatment decision, often there are concerns about who needs to make the decision that would be in the best interest of the baby. In this article, focusing on the guidelines for neonatal resuscitation revised in 2020, ethical issues that may arise before and soon after birth are reviewed. In addition, the considerations in determining the treatment direction for neonates with poor prognosis and the care required for babies and their families during the neonatal period have been investigated. Decisions about withholding or discontinuing neonatal resuscitation are often time-pressed since they are often made when labor is imminent or are needed shortly after the baby’s birth. The recommendations put forth by the American Heart Association in 2020 may be referred toward decision making. Since the medical condition of high-risk newborns also often change rapidly following admission, it becomes necessary to review the treatment goals periodically. Though principles suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the treatment decision of high-risk newborns are available, in Korea, it is also essential to consider the country’s law while discussing life-sustaining treatment. Improving the patient's quality of life is equally important as deciding treatment plans and approaches for sustaining life. Toward this, it becomes necessary that the medical staff treating high-risk newborns be educated on palliative care and build a support system.

Neurosurgical Evaluation and Management of Patients with Chromosomal Abnormalities

Patients with chromosomal abnormalities are at risk for numerous neurosurgical pathologies, given the broad impact and multisystem involvement of these disorders. Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18), Patau syndrome (trisomy 13), Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY), and velocardiofacial or DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 deletion) are particularly associated with neurosurgical concerns. Given the heterogeneity of concerns and presentations, these patients benefit from multidisciplinary care provided by teams familiar with their specific syndrome.

Caffeine for the Treatment of Central Apnea in Trisomy 18: A Case Study in the Novel Use of Methylxanthines in Palliative Transport

Central apnea is a major cause of death in neonates with trisomy 18 (T18) and is likely due to immaturity of the respiratory drive, similar to the pathological mechanism in apnea of prematurity. Although caffeine has long been used for apnea of prematurity, its use has not yet been reported for infants with T18. Here we describe an infant with T18 receiving comfort-focused care and palliative transport home. Of utmost importance to her family was enabling the patient to spend time at home before her death. However, immediately before transport, she developed severe central apnea, raising concern that she may not survive the transfer. Caffeine was trialed in the hopes of reducing central apnea events. Its use was successful and facilitated safe transport, allowing the patient to uneventfully transition home, where she spent several meaningful weeks with her family before her death.

Direct hyperbilirubinemia and cholestasis in trisomy 13 and 18

Trisomy 13 and 18 are common chromosomal abnormalities that affect multiple organ systems. There is a paucity of published data, however, on the hepatic complications seen in these patient populations. One of the most common pathologic hepatobiliary issues seen in the newborn period is direct hyperbilirubinemia (DH). Thus, this study sought to estimate the incidence and evaluate possible etiologies of DH in neonates with trisomy 13 or 18. This retrospective cohort study included all infants admitted to our two neonatal intensive care units between 2012 and 2020 with the diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18. DH is most commonly diagnosed as a direct bilirubin >1 mg/dl but a cutoff of >2 mg/dl is more specific for cholestasis, so both cutoffs were evaluated. Continuous data were compared using Fisher's exact test and categorical variables by the Mann-Whitney U test. Thirty-five patients met inclusion: 13 with trisomy 13 and 22 with trisomy 18. DH of >2 mg/dl was seen in seven (53.8%) patients with trisomy 13 and five (22.7%) with trisomy 18. Using a cutoff of >1 mg/dl, the rate of trisomy 13 was unchanged, but the rate in trisomy 18 increased to 9/22 (40.9%). There was a trend toward more DH in trisomy 13 patients (p = 0.079) versus trisomy 18 and higher rates in infants who received total parenteral nutrition (TPN) (50.0 vs. 13.3%, p = 0.026). The presence of cardiac or ultrasound-defined hepatobiliary abnormalities was not correlated with DH. Due to the high rates of DH in hospitalized neonates with trisomy 13 and 18, we recommend screening newborns with trisomy 13 or 18 for DH starting in the first week of life and continuing at least weekly until 4 weeks of life or until completion of TPN, whichever comes later. Future studies should further evaluate possible etiologies of DH in this population.

Management of Children with the Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13 Syndromes: Is there a Shift in the Paradigm of Care?

OBJECTIVE

The conventional view toward the management of infants with the trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 syndromes has been to recommend pure comfort care and the avoidance of technological interventions. This commentary aims to address the recently raised question about whether there has been a shift in the paradigm of the management of infants with the two conditions.

STUDY DESIGN

The study design includes narrative review of the literature.

RESULTS

A body of opinion pieces and evidence has emerged indicating that there has been a recent increase in the administration of interventions, including ventilatory support and surgery, in the management of children with these syndromes.

CONCLUSION

Based on the evidence in the literature, the author concludes that there has been a type of paradigm shift described by philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn, in the treatment of infants with trisomy 18 and 13. More parents are being offered and choosing technological interventions, including cardiac surgery. Future investigation of the question whether intervention improves outcome, including the quality of life, is crucial in addressing the unanswered questions in this dialogue.

KEY POINTS

· The conventional approach to the treatment of trisomy 18 and 13 has been to avoid interventions.. · There is a growing body of evidence that this traditional view of management is changing.. · Future investigation of whether intervention improves outcome is crucial in addressing the unanswered questions..

The current state of prenatal detection of genetic conditions in congenital heart defects

The incidence of congenital heart defect (CHD) has increased over the past fifty years, partly attributed to routine fetal anatomical examination by sonography during obstetric care and improvements in ultrasound technology and technique. Fetal findings on ultrasound in addition to maternal biomarkers are the backbone of first- and second-trimester screening for common genetic conditions, namely aneuploidy. Since the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using next-generation sequencing to sequence cell-free fetal DNA, the detection rate of common trisomies as well as sex chromosomal aneuploidies have markedly increased. As the use of NIPT continues to broaden, the best means of incorporating NIPT into prenatal care is less clear and complicated by misunderstanding of the limitations and non-diagnostic role of NIPT by clinicians and families. In other advancements in prenatal genetic testing, recommendations on the role of chromosomal microarray (CMA) for prenatal diagnosis has led to its increasing use to identify genetic conditions in fetuses diagnosed with CHD. Lastly, as whole exome sequencing (WES) becomes more available and affordable, the next clinical application of next-generation sequencing in prenatal diagnostic testing is on the horizon. While newer genetic tests may provide answers in terms of genetic diagnosis, even more questions will likely ensue for clinicians, researchers, and parents. The objective of this review is to provide the perspective of the evolution of maternal and fetal obstetric care against the backdrop of advancing genetic technology and its impact on families and clinicians.

Mosaic proximal trisomy 13q and regular trisomy 13 in a female patient with long survival: Involvement of an incomplete trisomic rescue and a chromothripsis event

BACKGROUND

Trisomy 13 or Patau syndrome has a prevalence of 1:10,000-20,000 and is characterized by microcephaly, microphthalmia, polydactyly, as well as other dysmorphic features and malformations, with a patient survival of 13% in the first year. Trisomy 13 presents either as a free chromosome 13 trisomy or associated with a chromosomal Robertsonian translocation, as partial trisomy affecting proximal or distal 13q regions, and also as a mosaic. Mosaic trisomy 13 shows a highly variable phenotype, displaying from mild to severe affectations. We present a 12-year-old Mexican female patient with intellectual disability, dysmorphic features, polymenorrhea, and long survival, whose initial cytogenetic study referred to a small supernumerary marker chromosome.

METHODS

GTG banding karyotype, high-resolution chromosomal microarray, and fluorescent in situ hybridization analyses were performed in peripheral blood cells.

RESULTS

Our analyses demonstrated a de novo mosaicism in our patient, constituted by proximal trisomy 13q10-q14.3 (82%) and free trisomy 13 (18%) cell lines. Her final chromosomal complement is mos 47,XX,+del(13)(q14.3)[25]/47,XX,+13[7].ish del(13)(RB1+)[17]/13q14(RB1x3)[2].arr[GRCh37] 13q11q14.3(19436286_51726415)x3,13q11q34(19436286_115107733)x2-3 dn.

CONCLUSIONS

The wide spectrum of clinical manifestations observed in our patient mainly results from the proximal trisomy 13q, and her phenotype is modified by the presence of a free trisomy 13 cell line. We propose that her mosaicism probably derived from a trisomic zygote that underwent a failed trisomic rescue associated with chromothripsis, originating the cell line with partial 13q proximal trisomy, whose selective advantage could explain the long survival of our patient.