Preoperative Iron Supplementation in Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Patients: A Preliminary Single-Center Experience

Perioperative paediatric patient blood management: a narrative review

Patient blood management (PBM) encompasses implementing multimodal evidence-based strategies to screen, diagnose, and properly treat anaemia and coagulopathies using goal-directed therapy while minimising bleeding. The aim of PBM is to improve clinical care and patient outcomes while managing patients with potential or ongoing critical anaemia, clinically significant bleeding, and coagulopathies. The focus of PBM is patient-centred rather than transfusion-centred. Multimodal PBM strategies are now recommended by international organisations, including the World Health Organization, as a new standard of care and a proven means to safely and effectively manage anaemia and blood loss while minimising unnecessary blood transfusion. Compared with adult PBM, paediatric PBM is currently not routinely accepted as a standard of care. This is partly because of the paucity of robust data on paediatric patient PBM. Managing paediatric bleeding and blood product transfusion presents unique challenges. Neonates, infants, children, and adolescents each have specific considerations based on age, weight, physiology, and pharmacology. This narrative review covers the latest updates for PBM in paediatric surgical populations including the benefits and principles of paediatric PBM, current expert consensus guidelines, and important universal multimodal therapeutic strategies emphasising clinical management of the anaemic, bleeding, or coagulopathic paediatric patient in the perioperative period. Practical paediatric rules for PBM in the perioperative period are highlighted, with review of specific PBM strategies including treatment of preoperative anaemia, restrictive transfusion thresholds, antifibrinolytic agents, cell salvage, standardised transfusion algorithms, and goal-directed therapy based on point-of-care and viscoelastic testing.

Postoperative Outcomes for Spinal Fusion Procedures in Pediatric Patients with Anemia: A Retrospective and Multivariate Analysis

BACKGROUND

Preoperative anemia is known to be associated with perioperative complications in many surgical interventions. Here, we examine the effects of preoperative anemia on peri-operative complications and postoperative outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing spinal fusion.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was conducted using the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National Surgery Quality Improvement Program Database between 2012-2020. Current Procedural Terminology codes 22800, 22,802, 22,804, 22,840, 22,842, 22,843, and 22,844 were included to represent all primary spinal fusion procedures performed. Patients without preoperative hematocrit (HCT) levels were excluded. Classification of anemia was determined via age- and sex-adjusted HCT levels. Patient demographics, preoperative comorbidities and risk factors, and 30-day postoperative outcomes were compared between the 2 cohorts using univariate analysis. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to determine if anemia severity was independently associated with worse postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 30,243 pediatric patients were included in this study, with 26,621 not having preoperative anemia and 3622 having preoperative anemia. Pediatric patients with anemia have increased length of stay (LOS) (6.7 ± 9.6 vs. 5 ± 6, P < 0.001), 30-day unplanned reoperation rate (4% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.001), and total blood transfused (489.9 ± 497.8 vs. 423.4 ± 452.6, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis supported anemia and degree of its severity as an independent predictor of increased length of stay (LOS), reoperation rate, and postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative anemia leads to worse outcomes in pediatric spinal fusion procedures. Utilizing HCT recordings could be factored into the equation for optimal patient selection and prevention of post-operative complications.

Nutrition for critically ill children with congenital heart disease

Children with congenital heart disease often require admission to the cardiac intensive care unit at some point in their lives, either after elective surgical or catheter-based procedures or during times of acute critical illness. Meeting both the macronutrient and micronutrient needs of children in the cardiac intensive care unit requires complex decision-making when considering gastrointestinal perfusion, vasoactive support, and fluid balance goals. Although nutrition guidelines exist for critically ill children, these cannot always be extrapolated to children with congenital heart disease. Children with congenital heart disease may also suffer unique circumstances, such as chylothoraces, heart failure, and the need for mechanical circulatory support, which greatly impact nutrition delivery. Guidelines for neonates and children with heart disease continue to be developed. We provide a synthesized narrative review of current literature and considerations for nutrition evaluation and management of critically ill children with congenital heart disease.

Patient Blood Management in adults and children: what have we achieved, and what still needs to be addressed?

An overview of Patient Blood Management (PBM), with its main scope to preserve the patient's own blood to improve the patient's outcome, is presented here, including the research gaps that needs to be addressed, particularly in the pediatric age group. Next, novel techniques to analyse PBM data and the challenges and strategies of PBM implementation will also be discussed.

Patient blood management and patient safety

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The particular fields within patient blood management (PBM) and patient safety reviewed here include novel insights into bleeding therapy, autologous cell salvage, and perioperative anemia therapy.

RECENT FINDING

World Health Organization has published that implementation of PBM is important but has not yet been performed in all hospitals. Two antibodies that mimic the function of FVIII, Emicizumab, and Mim8 have been developed. Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been investigated further in patients with hip surgery and shows reduction of bleeding. Thrombocytopenia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is a particular concern that has been investigated in another trial. The use of autologous cell salvage was updated in form of a review and meta-analysis. And last but not least, intravenous iron in preoperative anemia therapy can reduce the number of transfusions, but especially iron carboxymaltose can cause hypophosphatemia.

SUMMARY

PBM should be further implemented in more hospitals. Emicizumab and Mim8 are indicated in acquired hemophilia or hemophilia A with inhibitors. TXA was confirmed to reduce bleeding. Autologous cell salvage is state of the art to reduce transfusion requirements in major cardiac and noncardiac surgery. Serum phosphate concentrations should be monitored after administration of intravenous iron compounds.

Preoperative Iron Deficiency Is Associated With Increased Blood Transfusion in Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Background

Iron deficiency (ID) is common in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, which is associated with adverse outcomes. However, the relevance of ID in congenital heart disease is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of preoperative ID and its association with clinical outcomes in infants undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 314 patients undergoing cardiac surgery were assigned into three groups according to their preoperative ID status. Absolute ID was defined by serum ferritin <12 μg/L, and functional ID was defined by serum ferritin level at 12–30 μg/L and transferrin saturation <20%. Baseline characteristics were compared between groups and multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictors for ID. The association between ID and clinical outcomes, including allogenic blood transfusion requirements, was also evaluated.

Results

Among the 314 patients included, 32.5% were absolute ID and 28.7% were functional ID. Patients with absolute ID were more often of higher weight, cyanotic heart disease, and anemia. The presence of absolute ID was associated with an increase in postoperative blood transfusion (OR 1.837, 95% CI 1.016–3.321, p = 0.044). There was no significant difference in postoperative morbidity, mortality, and the length of hospital stay.

Conclusions

Absolute ID was associated with preoperative anemia and cyanotic heart disease, and was an independent risk factor for postoperative blood transfusion. Further research should better explore the definition of ID and its impact on outcomes in pediatric cardiac surgery.