A multicenter matched-cohort analysis of gastroschisis outcomes in infants born before 32 weeks gestation

C Preston Pugh; Isabella Zaniletti; Franscesca Miquel-Verges; T Hang Nghiem-Rao; L Corbin Downey; Hannah Hightower; Theresa Grover; Karna Murthy; Stefanie Riddle; Krishna Acharya; Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Gastroschisis Focus Group

doi:10.1038/s41372-024-01974-8

A multicenter matched-cohort analysis of gastroschisis outcomes in infants born before 32 weeks gestation

J Perinatol. 2024 May 14. doi: 10.1038/s41372-024-01974-8. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
² Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium, Dover, DE, USA.
³ Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
⁴ Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
⁵ UAB Heersink School of Medicine and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA.
⁶ University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.
⁷ Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁸ Cincinnati Children's Hospital and University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁹ Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA. kkacharya@mcw.edu.

PMID: 38744936
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-01974-8

Abstract

Objective: To examine neonatal outcomes of infants with gastroschisis born <32 weeks' gestation compared to matched infants without gastroschisis.

Study design: Retrospective matched-cohort analysis of infants with gastroschisis born <32 weeks' gestation at Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium (CHNC) NICUs from 2010 to 2022 compared to gestational age-matched controls.

Results: The study included 119 infants with gastroschisis and 357 matched infants; 60% of infants born 29-32 weeks, 23% born 26-28 weeks, and 16% born < 25 weeks. Mortality was not significantly different between groups (11% vs. 9%, p = 0.59). Preterm co-morbidities such as IVH, BPD, ROP, and PVL were similar, as were rates of surgical NEC. Infants with gastroschisis had longer hospital stays (92 vs. 67 days), higher CLABSI and UTIs, and were more likely to need feeding support at discharge.

Conclusion: Compared to infants without gastroschisis, infants <32 weeks' gestation with gastroschisis had similar risks for inpatient mortality, NEC, and other preterm co-morbidities.