The association of perinatal and clinical factors with outcomes in infants with gastroschisis-a retrospective multicenter study in Finland

Gastrointestinal quality of life in children born with gastroschisis

PURPOSE

The aim was to determine gastrointestinal (GI)-related QoL in children born with gastroschisis (GS).

METHODS

Totally, 58/83 families of children (aged 2-18 years) operated for GS at a tertiary pediatric surgical center accepted participation. Children aged 5-18 and one parent (child aged 2-18) completed the Swedish version of the PedsQL™ gastrointestinal symptoms module, evaluating GI-related QoL with 14 different GI-specific scales, norm values for Hirschsprung's disease (HD), esophageal atresia (EA), and functional constipation (FC) that were used for comparison.

RESULTS

Children with GS had significantly lower parent-reported scores on "Gas and bloating" compared with children with EA (77.0 vs 85.5, p = 0.039). In the child report and in the parent report, scores on several GI scales were like those of children with EA. Parents of children with GS had higher scores for 8/14 scales compared to HD and higher scores for 12/14 scales compared to FC. Clinical GS-specific factors for worse GI-QoL were identified, including "Days in ventilator" and "Days with Silo and Patch".

CONCLUSIONS

GS has an impact on GI-related QoL, comparable to that in EA, but not to HD or FC. The GS-specific factors of worse QoL show the importance regarding a GS follow-up program including considering clinical factors.

Heart Rate Variability as a Prognostic Tool for Gastroschisis Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Critical Unit

OBJECTIVE

 Gastroschisis is the most common congenital abdominal wall defect, with an increasing incidence. It results in extrusion of abdominal contents with associated delayed intestinal motility. Abnormal heart rate characteristics (HRCs) such as decreased variability occur due to the inflammatory response to sepsis in preterm infants. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that infants with gastroschisis have decreased heart rate variability (HRV) after birth and that this physiomarker may predict outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

 We analyzed heart rate data from and clinical variables for all infants admitted with gastroschisis from 2009 to 2020.

RESULTS

 Forty-seven infants were admitted during the study period and had available data. Complex gastroschisis infants had reduced HRV after birth. For those with sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis, abnormal HRCs occurred early in the course of illness.

CONCLUSION

 Decreased HRV was associated with complex gastroschisis. Infants in this group experienced complications that prolonged time to full enteral feeding and time on total parenteral nutrition.

KEY POINTS

· Infants with gastroschisis can be classified into two subcategories, simple and complex disease.. · Those with complex disease often require prolonged stays in the neonatal intensive care unit and costly hospitalizations. We hypothesized that infants with complex gastroschisis are more likely to have abnormal HRC due to intestinal inflammation.. · In this study, we identified associations between abnormal HRV, heart rate characteristicHRC, and the development of gastroschisis complications. Additionally, we described differences in clinical characteristics between infants with complex versus simple gastroschisis..

Factors of poor prognosis in newborns with a prenatal diagnosis of gastroschisis in Bogota, Colombia

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors associated with poor prognoses in newborns with a prenatal diagnosis of gastroschisis in eight hospitals in Bogota, Colombia, from 2011 to 2022.

METHODS

A multi-center retrospective case-control study was conducted on newborns with gastroschisis in eight hospitals in Bogota, Colombia. Poor prognosis was defined as the presence of sepsis, intestinal complications, or death.

RESULTS

The study included 101 patients. Preterm newborns under 32 weeks had a poor neonatal prognosis (OR 6.78 95 % CI 0.75-319). Oligohydramnios (OR 4.95 95 % CI 1.15-21.32) and staged closure with silo (OR 3.48; 95 % CI 1.10-10.96) were risk factors for neonatal death, and intra-abdominal bowel dilation of 20-25 mm was a factor for the development of intestinal complications (OR 3.22 95 % CI 1.26-8.23).

CONCLUSIONS

Intra-abdominal bowel dilation between 20 and 25 mm was associated with intestinal complications, while oligohydramnios was associated with the risk of perinatal death, requiring increased antenatal surveillance of fetal wellbeing. Management with primary reduction when technically feasible is recommended in these infants, considering that the use of silos was associated with higher mortality.

Gastroschisis: embriology, pathogenesis, risk factors, prognosis, and ultrasonographic markers for adverse neonatal outcomes

Gastroschisis is the most common congenital defect of the abdominal wall, typically located to the right of the umbilical cord, through which the intestinal loops and viscera exit without being covered by the amniotic membrane. Despite the known risk factors for gastroschisis, there is no consensus on the cause of this malformation. Prenatal ultrasound is useful for diagnosis, prognostic prediction (ultrasonographic markers) and appropriate monitoring of fetal vitality. Survival rate of children with gastroschisis is more than 95% in developed countries; however, complex gastroschisis requires multiple neonatal interventions and is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. In this article, we conducted a narrative review including embryology, pathogenesis, risk factors, and ultrasonographic markers for adverse neonatal outcomes in fetuses with gastroschisis. Prenatal risk stratification of gastroschisis helps to better counsel parents, predict complications, and prepare the multidisciplinary team to intervene appropriately and improve postnatal outcomes.

Does time to theater matter in simple gastroschisis?

Objective

A recent publication has suggested that expedited time to theater in gastroschisis results in higher rates of primary closure and decreases the length of stay (LOS). This study primarily aims to assess the impact of time to first management of neonates with gastroschisis on the LOS.

Methods

Neonates admitted between August 2013 and August 2020 with gastroschisis were included. Data were collected retrospectively, and neonates with complex gastroschisis were excluded. Variables including gestation, birth weight, time of first management, primary/delayed closure and use of patch were evaluated as possible confounding variables. The outcome measures were time to full feeds, time on parenteral nutrition (PN) and LOS. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. P<0.05 was regarded as significant.

Results

Eighty-six neonates were identified, and 16 were then excluded (eight patients with complex gastroschisis, eight patients with time to first management not documented). The median LOS for those who underwent primary closure was 21 days (interquartile range (IQR) =16-29) and for those who underwent silo placement and delayed closure was 59 days (IQR=44-130). The mean time to first management was 473 min (standard deviation (SD) =146 min), with only 20% of these infants being operated on at less than 6 hours of age. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated no relationship between time to first management and LOS (r2=0.00, p=0.82) but did demonstrate a consistent positive association between time to first feed and LOS and delayed closure, resulting in a longer time to full feeds and a longer time on PN.

Conclusions

The time to first management was not associated with a change in LOS in these data. Further prospective evaluation of the impact of reducing the time to first feed on the LOS is recommended.

Level of evidence

IV.

Statistical Analysis of the Main Risk Factors of an Unfavorable Evolution in Gastroschisis

Gastroschisis is a congenital abdominal wall defect that presents an increasing occurrence at great cost for the health system. The aim of the study is to detect the main factors of an unfavorable evolution in the case of gastroschisis and to find the best predictors of death.

METHODS

we conducted a retrospective cohort study of neonates with gastroschisis treated in a tertiary pediatric center during the last 30 years; 159 patients were eligible for the study. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk of death, estimated based on independent variables previously validated by the chi-square test.

RESULTS

if the birth weight is below normal, then we find an increased risk (4.908 times) of evolution to death. Similarly, the risk of death is 7.782 times higher in the case of developing abdominal compartment syndrome, about 3 times in the case of sepsis and 7.883 times in the case of bronchopneumonia. All four independent variables contributed 47.6% to the risk of death.

CONCLUSION

although in the past 30 years in our country we have seen transformational improvements in outcome of gastroschisis, survival rates increasing from 26% to 52%, some factors may still be ameliorated for a better outcome.

Current Surgical Concepts and Indications in the Management of the Short Bowel State: A Call for the Use of Multidisciplinary Intestinal Rehabilitation Programs

The mainstay of management for short bowel syndrome (SBS) is to promote access to the best quality of care provided by the intestinal rehabilitation program (IRP) in specialized centres. When treating SBS patients, the main goal is to minimize disease-associated complications, as well as achieve enteral autonomy. Surgical strategies should be selected cautiously upon the actual state of the bowel with respect to what it is clinically relevant for that specific patient. To this aim, a personalized and multidisciplinary approach for such a complex syndrome is needed.