Abstract
Introduction Congenital malformations are associated with substantial neonatal morbidity and mortality.
Furthermore, only sparse data are available on the modalities of care provided to
and the associated clinical outcomes in affected neonates. In this study, we focused
on five malformations that require surgery during the neonatal period: duodenal stenosis
and atresia (DA), gastroschisis (GA), omphalocele (OM), congenital diaphragmatic herniation
(CDH), and esophageal atresia (EA).
Materials and Methods We reviewed the Hessian neonatal registry (2010–2015) to identify records including
the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition) codes for the
aforementioned diagnoses and identified 283 patients who were affected by at least
one of these conditions. Multiple regression analyses were performed to further identify
risk factors for mortality and extended length of hospital stay.
Results The incidence rates per 10,000 live births and inhospital mortality rates were as
follows: DA: 1.79 and 3.6%; GA: 1.79 and 1.8%; OM: 1.60 and 24%; CDH: 1.32 and 27.5%;
and EA: 2.67 and 11.1%, respectively. Thirty-three percent of the patients had not
been born in a perinatal center in which corrective surgeries were performed. The
following risk factors were significantly associated with early mortality: trisomy
13 and 18, congenital heart defects, prematurity, and high-risk malformations (OM
and CDH). The predictors of length of stay were as follows: gestational age, number
of additional malformations, and treatment in the center with the highest patient
volume.
Conclusion Epidemiology and outcome of major congenital malformations in Hesse, Germany, are
comparable to previously published data. In addition, our data revealed a volume–outcome
association with regard to the length of hospital stay.
Keywords
congenital malformation - neonate - esophageal atresia - outcome - caseload
