Purpose: Children with myelomeningocele are known to be consumers of substantial healthcare resources, with many early hospital encounters. The purpose of this study was to survey the extent of medical and surgical care that patients with myelomeningocele receive during the first four years of life.
Methods: Clinical and demographic data were collected on newborn infants with open myelomeningocele from the Children's of Alabama Spina Bifida Web Tracker, a prospective, comprehensive spina bifida database. Additional data pertaining to all hospital admissions, surgical procedures, and clinic visits were collected from the medical record.
Results: One hundred and fourteen subjects with a primary diagnosis of myelomeningocele between 2004 and 2015 were included. Males slightly predominated (55%), 61.4% were Caucasian, 11% Hispanic/Latino; 28% had a mid-lumbar functional lesion level. Over the first four years of life, 688 total surgical procedures were performed (an average of 86 per child): 438 in year 1, 100 in year 2, 84 in year 3, and 66 in year 4. The mean number of hospital visits was 40.5. Total average drive time per patient over 4 years being 103.8 hours. Average number of nights spent in the hospital was 51.
Conclusion: Children with myelomeningocele need multiple hospitalizations, surgeries, and medical encounters in the first 4 years of life. These data will be valuable when counselling new parents and prospective parents of children with this condition.
Keywords: Spina bifida; myelomeningocele; pediatrics; scope of care.