Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Comparison of Efficacy of I/V Tramadol and Bupivacaine Irrigation through Drains after Modified Radical Mastectomy

Background: Severe postsurgical pain continues to be hard to manage in patients who experience breast cancer surgery. Badly managed pain can lead to meager patient satisfaction, prolonged hospital stay, and increased risk of complication by analgesics, and may be a reason in the development of long-lasting pain. Aim: To compare the efficacy of Intravenous Tramadol and Bupivacaine irrigation through surgical drains after Modified Radical Mastectomy in patients with carcinoma breast. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Department of Anesthesia, Mayo Hospital Lahore. Total 70 female patients aged 18-70 years undergoing radical mastectomy for CA breast diagnosed on histopathology were selected. Patients were divided into two groups A and B through simple random sampling technique. Group A received intravenous Tramadol. Group B received Bupivacaine through surgical drains. Results: At 0, 2, 4 and 6 hour postoperatively no significant difference was seen in severity of pain in both treatment groups. In Group-A at 0, 2, 4 and 6 hour postoperatively, 68.8%, 71.4%, 57.1% and 60% respectively had reported no pain while in Group-B at 0, 2, 4 and 6 hour postoperatively, 48.6%, 65.7%, 45.7% and 54.3% patients had reported no pain. Complaints of Nausea, vomiting, sedation, urinary retention was higher in patients in Tramadol Group as compared to Bupivacaine Group. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrated that bupivacaine administrated through surgical drain was equally effective as intravenous tramadol for controlling postoperative mastectomy pain with less side effects. Keyword: Breast Cancer, Acute Pain, Analgesia, Tramadol, Bupivacaine, Radical Mastectomy, Nausea, Vomiting, Sedation, Urinary retention, Hypotension</jats:p