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Medical and surgical interventions and outcomes for infants with trisomy 18 (T18) or trisomy 13 (T13) at children’s hospitals neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)

Abstract

Objectives

To examine characteristics and outcomes of T18 and T13 infants receiving intensive surgical and medical treatment compared to those receiving non-intensive treatment in NICUs.

Study design

Retrospective cohort of infants in the Children’s Hospitals National Consortium (CHNC) from 2010 to 2016 categorized into three groups by treatment received: surgical, intensive medical, or non-intensive.

Results

Among 467 infants admitted, 62% received intensive medical treatment; 27% received surgical treatment. The most common surgery was a gastrostomy tube. Survival in infants who received surgeries was 51%; intensive medical treatment was 30%, and non-intensive treatment was 72%. Infants receiving surgeries spent more time in the NICU and were more likely to receive oxygen and feeding support at discharge.

Conclusions

Infants with T13 or T18 at CHNC NICUs represent a select group for whom parents may have desired more intensive treatment. Survival to NICU discharge was possible, and surviving infants had a longer hospital stay and needed more discharge supports.

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Fig. 1: Time trends in NICU admissions, number of infants receiving intensive vs. non-intensive treatment and percentage of surviving infants from 2010–16 (n = 467).
Fig. 2: Center variation in 3 treatment groups for infants with T13 or T18 in centers with >10 patients (n = 407).

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the following institutions that serve the infants and their families, and these institutions also have invested in and continue to participate in the Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Database (CHND). Jeanette Asselin, Beverly Brozanski, David Durand (ex officio), Francine Dykes (ex officio), Jacquelyn Evans (Executive Director), Theresa Grover, Karna Murthy (Chair), Michael Padula, Eugenia Pallotto, Anthony Piazza, Kristina Reber, and Billie Short are members of the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium, Inc. For more information, please contact: support@thechnc.org. The site sponsors/contributors for the CHND include:

Palliative Care and Ethics Focus Group of the Children’s Hospital Neonatal Consortium (CHNC)

Anthony Piazza35, Gregory Sysyn36, Carl Coghill37, Ajay Talati38, Anne Hansen39, Tanzeema Houssain39, Karna Murthy40, Gustave Falciglia40, Beth Haberman41, Kristina Reber42, Rashmin Savani43, Theresa Grover44, Girija Natarajan45, Annie Chi46, Yvette Johnson46, Gautham Suresh47, William Engle48, Eugenia Pallotto49, Robert Lyle50, Becky Rogers50, Rachel Chapman51, Jamie Limjoco52, Priscilla Joe53, Jacquelyn Evans54, Michael Padula54, David Munson54, Suzanne Touch55, Beverly Brozanski56, Rakesh Rao57, Amit Mathur57, Victor McKay58, Mark Speziale59, Laurel Moyer59, Billie Short60, Kevin Sullivan61, Con Yee Ling62, Michael Uhing63, Lynne Willett64, Nicole Birge64, Rajan Wadhawan65, Elizabeth Jacobsen-Misbe66, Robert DiGeronimo66, Kyong-Soon Lee67, Michel Mikhael68

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Correspondence to Krishna Acharya.

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Acharya, K., Leuthner, S.R., Zaniletti, I. et al. Medical and surgical interventions and outcomes for infants with trisomy 18 (T18) or trisomy 13 (T13) at children’s hospitals neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). J Perinatol 41, 1745–1754 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01111-9

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