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Published on: May 26, 2015
Ultra fast track in elective congenital cardiac surgery
L A Vricella1, J A Dearani, S R Gundry
1Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center and Children's Hospital, California 92354, USA.
Insights
This study shows that a strategy of limited sternotomy, early extubation, and very early discharge is safe and effective for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Most patients experienced excellent outcomes and short hospital stays.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Congenital Heart Disease Management
- Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Evolving healthcare delivery necessitates adapting congenital cardiac surgery practices.
- A novel strategy involving limited sternotomy, early extubation, and expedited discharge was developed.
- The perioperative course of 198 pediatric patients undergoing elective cardiovascular surgery was reviewed to evaluate this approach.
Observation:
- The study included 198 pediatric patients (0-18 years) undergoing 201 elective cardiovascular procedures.
- Patients were categorized into six diagnostic groups based on their cardiac conditions.
- All patients were admitted on the day of surgery.
Findings:
- 93.6% of patients were extubated within 4 hours, with 87.1% extubated in the operating room.
- The median length of stay was 2.0 days, with 81.5% of patients discharged within 72 hours.
- Overall mortality was 2.9%, and 5.5% experienced in-hospital complications, with only 4.1% readmitted for true surgical issues.
Implications:
- Selected pediatric patients with diverse congenital heart defects can benefit from same-day admission and minimally invasive surgical approaches.
- This strategy demonstrates excellent outcomes and acceptable morbidity, optimizing patient recovery.
- The findings support the safety and efficacy of early extubation and discharge protocols in congenital cardiac surgery.
Background:
Changes in healthcare delivery have affected the practice of congenital cardiac surgery. We recently developed a strategy of limited sternotomy, early extubation, and very early discharge, and reviewed the perioperative course of 198 pediatric patients undergoing elective cardiovascular surgical procedures, to assess the efficacy and safety of this approach.
Methods:
One hundred ninety-eight patients aged 0 to 18 years (median 3.2 years) underwent 201 elective cardiovascular surgical procedures over a 1-year period. All patients were admitted on the day of surgery. Patients were divided into six diagnostic groups: group 1, complex left-to-right shunts (n = 14, 7.0%); group 2, simple left-to-right shunts (n = 83, 41.3%); group 3, right-to-left shunts with pulmonary obstruction (n = 33, 16.4%); group 4, isolated, nonvalvular obstructive lesions (n = 30, 14.9%); group 5, isolated valvular anomalies (n = 20, 10.0%); and group 6, miscellaneous (n = 21, 10.4%).
Results:
After 201 procedures, 175 patients (87.1%) were extubated in the operating room and 188 (93.6%) within 4 hours from operation. Four patients (2.0%) were extubated more than 24 hours from completion of the procedure, and 2 (1.0%) died while on respiratory support (never weaned). Five patients (2.6%) failed early extubation (<4 hours). Early discharge was achieved for the vast majority of patients. Overall median length of stay (LOS, including day of surgery as day 1) was 2.0 days, with a median LOS of 3.0 days for those patients requiring circulatory arrest duration exceeding 20 minutes. Of 195 patients, 43 (24.6%), 121 (74.0%), and 159 (81.5%) were discharged, respectively, at <24, <48, <72 hours from admission. Longest and shortest mean postoperative LOS were in group 6 (9.9+/-14.5 days) and group 2 (1.6 = 0.7 days), respectively. Six patients (2.9%) died, and 11 (5.5%) suffered in-hospital complications. Thirty patients (15.4%) were either treated as outpatients (n = 11, 5.7%) or readmitted (n = 19, 9.7%) within 30 days from the time of surgery. Only 8 of 195 patients (4.1%) were readmitted with true surgical complications requiring invasive therapeutic procedures.
Conclusions:
Selected patients with a broad spectrum of congenital heart disease may enjoy same-day admission, limited sternotomy, immediate extubation, and very early discharge with excellent outcomes and acceptable morbidity.
