Multicenter Validation of the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score as a Predictor of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation After Neonatal Cardiac Surgery

Vasoactive Ventilation Renal Score as a Predictor of Outcomes in Children Admitted to PICU: An Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

To determine the area under curve (AUC) for vasoactive ventilation renal score (VVRS) > 10 at 24-h of admission for predicting mortality in children aged 1-12 years admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). To also determine the AUC for VVRS > 10 at 48-h of admission for predicting mortality and to determine the AUC of VVRS > 10 at 24-h and 48-h of admission for predicting PICU stay > 3 days, hospital stay > 10 days and mechanical ventilation > 3 days.

METHODS

This observational study included 310 children aged 1-12 years admitted in PICU. All required parameters were noted, and VVRS, ventilation index and change in creatinine at 24-h and 48-h of admission were recoded. Receiver operating characteristic curves were computed to determine the predictive role of VVRS > 10 at 24-h and 48-h for mortality, duration of PICU stay, hospital stay and mechanical ventilation.

RESULTS

Seventy nine (25%) patients succumbed during the study. VVRS > 10 at 24-h and 48-h had a good predictive role for mortality with AUC of 0.873 (sensitivity 89.87%, specificity 69.70%) and 0.996 (sensitivity 96.20%, specificity 96.10%), respectively. Best cutoffs derived for VVRS (24-h), and VVRS (48-h) were > 2.5 and > 13.5. A higher AUC, sensitivity and specificity of VVRS at 48-h were observed for predicting prolonged PICU stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

VVRS at 24-h and 48-h has a good predictive role for mortality in children admitted to PICU.

Multimodal Monitoring of Hemodynamics in Neonates With Extremely Low Gestational Age: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Evaluation and treatment of transitional circulation in neonates with extremely low gestational age (ELGA) varies greatly across centers.

Objective

To determine whether multimodal hemodynamic monitoring in neonates with ELGA during the transitional period (first 72 hours of life) will improve cardiorespiratory-kidney health by decreasing vasoactive-ventilation-renal (VVR) score at 7 days.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This unmasked, 2-arm randomized clinical trial included neonates born at a gestational age of 230 to 286 weeks and admitted to a neonatal unit in Canada. Patients were enrolled from February 15, 2019, to December 31, 2021, with follow-up completed in April 2022.

Interventions

Neonates in the multimodal arm received early targeted neonatal echocardiography at 18 to 24 and 66 to 72 hours of life and cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the first 72 hours. A study guideline incorporating clinical-biochemical and cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy data was used for hemodynamic consultation in the multimodal arm. Neonates in the standard arm received hemodynamic assessment using clinical-biochemical data.

Main Outcome and Measures

The primary outcome was VVR score at 7 days. The VVR score incorporates measures of inotrope use, ventilation support, and kidney function to reflect cardiorespiratory-kidney health, with possible scores ranging from 0 to 69.62 at 7 days; higher scores indicate worse cardiorespiratory-kidney health.

Results

Primary analysis included 132 neonates with ELGA (68 in the multimodal arm and 64 in the standard arm) with mean (SD) gestational age of 26.4 (1.5) weeks (75 [56.8%] male). The mean (SD) VVR score at 7 days was 16.5 (15.4) in the multimodal arm and 18.9 (20.2) in the standard arm (P = .45). A day 7 peak VVR score greater than 53 (>95th percentile for VVR in the entire cohort) was seen only in the standard arm (7 of 63 [11.1%] vs 0 in the multimodal arm; P = .005) and was associated with a composite outcome of death or severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR], 12.37; 95% CI, 1.92-79.63; P = .001) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (6 of 6 [100%] vs 55 of 116 [47.4%]; P = .01). Incidence of BPD was lower in the multimodal arm (26 of 63 [41.3%] vs 36 of 61 [59.0%]; P = .04). Logistic regression showed that VVR score at 7 days in the top quartile (adjusted OR [AOR], 11.40; 95% CI, 2.04-63.67), late sepsis (AOR, 65.24; 95% CI, 5.70-748.18), and patent ductus arteriosus treatment after 72 hours of life vs early or no treatment needed (AOR, 7.20; 95% CI, 1.60-32.41) were associated with BPD.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study of neonates with ELGA, multimodal hemodynamic assessment was not associated with decreased VVR scores at 7 days. However, this approach led to lower incidence of VVR associated with severe adverse outcomes and lower BPD incidence, suggesting further investigation is needed.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03841929.

Diagnosis of Multiple Organ Dysfunction in Neonates with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Vasoactive Inotropic Score, Renal Score, Fibrosis-5 Index and Lactate/Albumin Ratio

BACKGROUND

Vasoactive inotrope score, renal score, fibrosis-5 index, and lactate-albumin ratio have not been investigated before in determining multiple organ dysfunctions accompanying infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The aim of this study was to determine whether multiple organ dysfunctions that may accompany HIE in infants are correlated with vasoactive inotrope score (VIS), renal score (RS), fibrosis-5 index (FIB-5), and lactate-albumin ratio (LAR), and whether these parameters can predict morbidity and mortality.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study, and 106 newborns diagnosed with HIE and treated with hypothermia were included in the study. Vasoactive inotrope score for cardiac dysfunction, renal score for renal dysfunction, fibrosis-5 index, and lactate/albumin ratio for hepatic dysfunction were evaluated.

RESULTS

We found that the vasoactive inotrope score, renal score, fibrosis-5 index, and lactate-albumin ratio values of infants diagnosed with HIE are associated with cardiac, renal, and hepatic dysfunction. These values, calculated on the 2nd postnatal day, are particularly linked to prolonged hospital stay and mortality, which are key prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study is the first to combine vasoactive inotrope score, renal score, fibrosis-5 index, and lactate-albumin ratio parameters in determining organ dysfunction in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and to reveal their prognostic and mortality prediction values. Therefore, although it offers new perspectives, new studies are needed.

A comparative analysis of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score, the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score, and the Oxygenation Index as outcome predictors in infants with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia

OBJECTIVES

To date, different severity scores and indices are available to predict outcome in infants with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The Oxygenation Index (OI) and the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (VIS) has already been evaluated in the CDH population. The Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal (VVR) Score was recently evaluated as new severity score in several studies on infants with need for cardiac surgery. The score was shown to outperform the VIS and OI as outcome predictors in these infants, but no data are available regarding the evaluation of the VVR Score in CDH infants.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective single-center analysis at the University Children's Hospital, Bonn, Germany, during the study period from January 2019 until December 2022. Of 108 CDH infants treated at our institution, a final cohort of 100 neonates met the inclusion criteria.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

diagnosis of CDH (right-sided, left-sided, or bilateral).

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

early mortality (before surgical correction of the diaphragm), palliative care after birth, no available data for OI, VIS, and VVR Score calculation. The OI, the VIS, and the VVR Score were calculated at three selected timepoints: at 48-72 h after birth (T1), before surgery (T2), and after surgery (T3).

MAIN RESULTS

The primary clinical endpoint (in-hospital mortality) was reached in 21% of the infants. Infants surviving to discharge were allocated to group A, infants with fatal outcome to group B. In the univariate analysis, the OI was significantly higher in infants allocated to group B at T2 (p < .001), and T3 (p < .001). The VIS was significantly higher only at T1 in infants allocated to group B (p = .001). The VVR Score was significantly higher at T1 (p = .017), and at T3 (p = .002) in infants not surviving to discharge. In the multivariate analysis, the OI at T2 + T3 (p < .001), the VIS at T1 (p = .048), and the VVR Score at T1 + T3 (p = .023, and p = .048, respectively) remained significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. The OI presented the highest area under the curve (AUC) at T2 and T3 (T2:0.867, p = .001; T3:0.833, p = .000) regarding the primary endpoint in the overall cohort. In the subgroup of infants without need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy (n = 60) the VVR Sore presented the best performance with an AUC of 0.942 (p = .000) at T3.

CONCLUSION

The severity scores OI, VIS, and VVR-Score are independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in CDH infants. The OI seems to outperform the VIS and VVR-Score as outcome predictor immediately before and after CDH surgery, whereas the VVR Score presented the best performance in the subgroup of CDH infants without need for ECMO and mild-to-moderate CDH defects.

Association between Serum Lactate and Morbidity and Mortality in Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Lactate is a marker of hypoperfusion in critically ill patients. Whether lactate is useful for identifying and stratifying neonates with a higher risk of adverse outcomes remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between lactate and morbidity and mortality in neonates.

METHODS

A meta-analysis was performed to determine the association between blood lactate levels and outcomes in neonates. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to 1 May 2021. A total of 49 observational studies and 14 data accuracy test studies were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies and the QUADAS-2 tool for data accuracy test studies. The primary outcome was mortality, while the secondary outcomes included acute kidney injury, necessity for renal replacement therapy, neurological outcomes, respiratory morbidities, hemodynamic instability, and retinopathy of prematurity.

RESULTS

Of the 3184 articles screened, 63 studies fulfilled all eligibility criteria, comprising 46,069 neonates. Higher lactate levels are associated with mortality (standard mean difference, -1.09 [95% CI, -1.46 to -0.73]). Using the estimated sensitivity (0.769) and specificity (0.791) and assuming a prevalence of 15% for adverse outcomes (median of prevalence among studies) in a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 neonates, assessing the lactate level alone would miss 346 (3.46%) cases (false negative) and wrongly diagnose 1776 (17.76%) cases (false positive).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher lactate levels are associated with a greater risk of mortality and morbidities in neonates. However, our results do not support the use of lactate as a screening test to identify adverse outcomes in newborns. Research efforts should focus on analyzing serial lactate measurements, rather than a single measurement.

Comparison of vasoactive-inotropic score, vasoactive-ventilation-renal score, and modified vasoactive-ventilation-renal score for predicting the poor prognosis after coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND

Exploring reliable prediction scoring systems is valuable for the poor prognosis of patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Herein, we explored and compared the predictive performance of vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS), vasoactive-ventilation-renal (VVR) score, and modified VVR (M-VVR) score in the poor prognosis of patients undergoing CABG.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was performed in Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, and data of 537 patients were collected from January 2019 to May 2021. The independent variables were VIS, VVR, and M-VVR. Study endpoint of interest was the poor prognosis. Association between VIS, VVR, M-VVR and poor prognosis was assessed using logistic regression analysis, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. The performance of VIS, VVR, and M-VVR to predict the poor prognosis was assessed by calculating the area under the curve (AUC), and differences of the AUC of the three scoring systems were compared using DeLong test.

RESULTS

After adjusting gender, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, surgery methods, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), VIS (OR: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.05-1.13) and M-VVR (OR: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.06-1.12) were associated with the increased odds of poor prognosis. The AUC of M-VVR, VVR, and VIS was 0.720 (95%CI: 0.668-0.771), 0.621 (95%CI: 0.566-0.677), and 0.685 (95%CI: 0.631-0.739), respectively. DeLong test displayed that the performance of M-VVR was better than VVR (P = 0.004) and VIS (P = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found the good prediction performance of M-VVR for the poor prognosis of patients undergoing CABG, indicating that M-VVR may be a useful prediction index in the clinic.

Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in A Neonate with Aortic Stenosis-A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury occurs commonly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We report a case of a neonate with congenital heart disease who developed acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery, administration of iodinated contrast media for cardiac catheterization, and a combination of nephrotoxic drugs.

CASE REPORT

A term neonate without a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease and with a good postnatal transition was transferred at 13 days of life to the MS Curie Emergency Hospital for Children, Newborn Intensive Care Unit, from a regional hospital where he was admitted at 10 days of life with severe general status, respiratory distress, cyanosis, and arterial hypotension. The cardiac ultrasound detected critical aortic valve stenosis, hypoplastic descending aorta, acute heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension. The patient was intubated and mechanically ventilated and received antibiotherapy (meropenem, vancomycin, and colistin), inotropic and vasoactive support (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and milrinone), and diuretic support (furosemide, aminophylline, and ethacrynic acid). A balloon aortic valvuloplasty was performed several hours after admission, but after two days the patient required reintervention by open heart surgery due to relapsing severe aortic stenosis. He developed oligo-anuria, generalized edema, and altered renal function tests on the second postoperative and fourth day post-contrast media administration. Continuous renal replacement therapy was initiated for 75 h, leading to almost instant improvement in blood pressure, then diuresis and creatinine levels. The patient required long-term treatment for heart, respiratory, and liver failure. He was discharged at almost four months of age with normal renal function tests, blood pressure, and good urine output without diuretic support. The literature review indicates that contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) requiring continuous renal replacement therapy is rare.

CONCLUSIONS

Our current case proves that iodinated contrast media administration in a neonate with concomitant insults, such as cardiac surgery for a specific pathology, aortic stenosis, coarctation, arch stenosis, arterial hypotension, and administration of nephrotoxic drugs, may lead to severe kidney injury.

Evaluation of the Performance of Vasoactive Ventilation Renal Score in Predicting the Duration of Mechanical Ventilation and Intensive Care Hospitalization After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Various methods have been used to evaluate the predictivity of some markers during the recovery process after cardiac surgery in children. The aim herein was to evaluate the vasoactive ventilation renal (VVR) score in predicting the clinical outcomes of children who underwent congenital cardiac surgery within the early period in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Patients who underwent congenital heart surgery (CHS) between November 2016 and March 2020 were enrolled and evaluated prospectively. The VVR score was calculated as follows: vasoactive inotrope score (VIS) + ventilation index + (change in serum creatinine level based on the baseline value × 10). The relationship between the duration of mechanical ventilation and the length of stay (LOS) in the PICU was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the cut-off values were calculated. At all of the time points identified in the study, the VVR score had a higher area under the ROC curve (AUC) when compared to the VIS and serum lactate levels, and the 48-h VVR score had the highest AUC (AUC 0.851, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.761-0.942/LOS in the PICU; AUC 0.946, 95% CI 0.885-1.000/duration of mechanical ventilation). The 48-h VVR score for the LOS in the PICU was 6.7 (sensitivity 70%, specificity 92%) and that for the duration of mechanical ventilation was 9.1 (sensitivity 87%, specificity 97%). As a result, in our study, it was found that the VVR score is a new and effective predictor of the duration of mechanical ventilation and LOS in the PICU in postoperative CHS patients.

Vasoactive-ventilation-renal score and outcomes in infants and children after cardiac surgery

Introduction

There is a need to index important clinical characteristics in pediatric cardiac surgery that can be obtained early in the postoperative period and accurately predict postoperative outcomes.

Methodology

A prospective cohort study was conducted in the pediatric cardiac ICU and ward on all children aged <18 years undergoing cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease from September 2018 to October 2020. The vasoactive-ventilation-renal (VVR) score was analyzed to predict outcomes of cardiac surgeries with a comparison of postoperative variables.

Results

A total of 199 children underwent cardiac surgery during the study period. The median (interquartile range) age was 2 (0.8-5) years, and the median weight was 9.3 (6-16) kg. The most common diagnoses were ventricular septal defect (46.2%) and tetralogy of Fallot (37.2%). At the 48th h, area under the curve (AUC) (95% CI) values were higher for the VVR score than those for other clinical scores measured. Similarly, at the 48th h, AUC (95% CI) values were higher for the VVR score than those for the other clinical scores measured for the length of stay and mechanical ventilation.

Discussion

The VVR score at 48 h postoperation was found to best correlate with prolonged pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay, length of hospitalization, and ventilation duration, with the greatest AUC-receiver operating characteristic (0.715, 0.723, and 0.843, respectively). The 48-h VVR score correlates well with prolonged ICU, hospital stay, and ventilation.

Validation of the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score for Neonatal Heart Surgery

OBJECTIVES

 We aimed to validate the vasoactive-ventilation-renal (VVR) score and to compare it with other indices as a predictor of outcome in neonates recovering from surgery for critical congenital heart disease. We also sought to determine the optimal time at which the VVR score should be measured.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed neonates recovering from cardiac surgery between July 2017 and June 2020. The VVR score was calculated at admission, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. Max values, defined as the highest of the four scores, were also recorded. The main end result of interest was a composite outcome which included prolonged intensive care unit stay and mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated, and areas under the curve with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all time points. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was also performed.

RESULTS

We reviewed 73 neonates and 21 of them showed composite outcomes. The area under the curve value for VVR score as a predictor of composite outcome was greatest at postoperative 72-hour max (AUC= 0.967; 95% confidence interval, (0.927-1). On multivariable regression analysis, the VVR max 72 hours remained a strong independent predictor of prolonged ICU stay and mortality (odds ratio, 1.452; 95% confidence interval, 1.036-2.035).

CONCLUSIONS

We validated the utility of the VVR score in neonatal cardiac surgery for critical congenital heart disease. The VVR follow-up in postoperative 72 hours is superior to other indices and especially the maximum VVR value is a potentially powerful clinical tool to predict ICU stay and mortality.

Analysis of factors associated with prolonged post-operative course after surgical repair of aortic coarctation

OBJECTIVE

We sought to describe patient characteristics associated with prolonged post-operative length of stay in a contemporary cohort of infants who underwent isolated repair of aortic coarctation.

METHODS

We reviewed patients less than 1 year of age who underwent isolated repair of aortic coarctation at our institution from 2009 to 2016. Prolonged post-operative length of stay was defined as length of stay within the upper tertile for the cohort. Bivariate and multi-variable analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors for prolonged length of stay.

RESULTS

We reviewed 95 consecutive patients who underwent isolated repair of aortic coarctation, of whom 71 were neonates at the time of diagnosis. The median post-operative length of stay was 6.5 days. The upper tertile for post-operative length of stay was greater than 10 days; 32 patients within this tertile and 1 patient who died at 8.5 days after surgery were analysed as having prolonged post-operative length of stay. In a multi-variable analysis, pre-maturity (odds ratio: 3.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 10.7), genetic anomalies (odds ratio: 4.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 18), absence of pre-operative oral feeding (odds ratio: 7.4, 95% confidence interval: 2.4, 22.3), and 12-hour vasoactive-ventilation-renal score greater than 25 (odds ratio: 7.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.9, 29) were independently associated with prolonged length of stay.

CONCLUSIONS

In neonates and infants who underwent isolated repair of aortic coarctation, pre-maturity, genetic anomalies, lack of pre-operative oral feedings, and 12-hour vasoactive-ventilation-renal score more than 25 were independent risk factors for prolonged post-operative length of stay. Further study on the relationship between pre-operative oral feedings and post-operative length of stay should be pursued.

Vasoactive-Inotropic Score and Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score as Outcome Predictors for Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

We aimed to determine the association of vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) and vasoactive-ventilation-renal (VVR) score with in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes at discharge of children who receive ECMO. A sub-analysis of the multicenter, prospectively collected data by the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN) for Bleeding and Thrombosis on ECMO (BATE database) was conducted. Of the 514 patients who received ECMO across eight centers from December 2012 to February 2016, 421 were included in the analysis. Patients > 18 years of age, patients placed on ECMO directly from cardiopulmonary bypass or as an exit procedure, or patients with an invalid or missing VIS score were excluded. Higher VIS (OR = 1.008, 95% CI: 1.002-1.014, p = 0.011) and VVR (OR: 1.006, 95% CI: 1.001-1.012, p = 0.023) were associated with increased mortality. VIS was associated with worse Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) (OR = 1.027, 95% CI: 1.010-1.044, p = 0.002) and Pediatric Overall Performance Category (POPC) score (OR = 1.023, 95% CI: 1.009-1.038, p = 0.002) at discharge. No association was found between VIS or VVR and Functional Status Score (FSS) at discharge. Using multivariable analyses, controlling for ECMO mode, ECMO location, ECMO indication, primary diagnosis, and chronic diagnosis, extremely high VIS and VVR were still associated with increased mortality.

The Year in Review: Anesthesia for Congenital Heart Disease 2019

This review focuses on the literature published from January 2019 to February 2020 that is of interest to anesthesiologists taking care of children and adults with congenital heart disease. Five themes are addressed during this time period, and 59 peer-reviewed articles are discussed.

A Narrative Review of Analytics in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common birth anomalies, and the care of children with CHD has improved over the past 4 decades. However, children with CHD who undergo general anesthesia remain at increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The proliferation of electronic health record systems and sophisticated patient monitors affords the opportunity to capture and analyze large amounts of CHD patient data, and the application of novel, effective analytics methods to these data can enable clinicians to enhance their care of pediatric CHD patients. This narrative review covers recent efforts to leverage analytics in pediatric cardiac anesthesia and critical care to improve the care of children with CHD.