Does overnight birth influence treatment or outcome in congenital diaphragmatic hernia?

We examined the effect of overnight birth on treatment and outcome (including initial cardiorespiratory stabilization) in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). CDH births between May 2005 and May 2008 were abstracted from a national CDH database. Overnight birth was defined as occurring between 8 PM and 8 AM. Patient characteristics, treatment, and outcomes were compared between birth time groups, including the subset of infants in whom a prenatal diagnosis of CDH had been made. Of 132 cases evaluated, 106 (80%) survived. Forty-nine babies (37%) were born overnight. Eighty-five infants (64%) with a prenatal diagnosis were evenly distributed between the birth time cohorts. Survival to discharge, surgical management, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay were comparable between the risk-matched (SNAP-II score) birth time groups. Overnight birth did predict a lower rate of cesarean section deliveries (P = 0.03). Escalation of ventilator mode, inability to achieve/maintain blood gas targets, development of pneumothorax, and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were all considered "stabilization failures." Overnight birth predicted a failure to maintain or improve pH to within target range (P = 0.008). Overnight birth did not adversely affect outcome in this birth time comparison of newborns with CDH.