Objective: The objective of this study was to use current national data to evaluate the characteristics and survival trends of preterm infants born with CDH from 2004 to 2014.
Study design: Data was queried from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and KID database from 2004 to 2014. Infants were included if diagnosed with CDH by ICD-9 coding and gestational age <37 weeks. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and trend analysis were completed.
Results: We identified 2356 infants born prematurely with CDH. The overall survival rate was 49%. The survival range is 21.2-62.3% for gestational age <26 weeks to 35-36 weeks, respectively. Total mortality was 1183; of them, 1052 (89%) were not repaired and 363 (30.7%) did not receive mechanical ventilation. Surgical repair occurred in 55.1% of infants.
Conclusions: Preterm infants have lower survival compared with term infants. Survival rates decrease with lower gestational age and have improved over time.