title: Parental perception of functional status following tracheostomy in infancy: a single center study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the functional outcomes of children who underwent a tracheostomy in the initial hospitalization after birth and to determine their correlates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered the validated 43-item Functional Status-II (FS-II) questionnaire by Stein and Jessop over the telephone to caregivers of surviving children. The FS-II items generated a total score, age-specific: (1) total; (2) general health (GH); and (3) responsiveness, activity, or interpersonal functioning (IPF) scores in specific age group categories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FS-II was administered to 51/62 (82.2%) survivors at a median (range) age of 5 (1-10) years; 27% children were on the ventilator and 43% required devices. About 40% of children had a median of 1 (1-4) hospitalization in the previous 6 months. Scores were >2 SD below means in 55%, 24%, and 55% cases for age-specific T, GH, and R/A/IPF scores respectively. The T and R/A/IPF scales were significantly higher in those with private, rather than public, maternal insurance, as were T and R/A/IPF scores for children ≥ 4 years, compared with younger children. On regression analysis, FS-II T, GH, and R/A/IPF scores were independently associated with maternal private insurance (P = .02). R/A/IPF scores were also significantly associated with corrected age at FS-II administration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One-third of surviving children who underwent tracheostomy during their initial hospitalization remained technology-dependent. The parental FS-II questionnaires revealed low R/A/IPF scores, especially at younger ages and in those with maternal public insurance. Further research on family-level interventions to improve functional outcomes in this population is warranted.
authors: Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors: Sharayu
authors: S
authors: Rane
authors: Seetha
authors: S
authors: Shankaran
authors: Girija
authors: G
authors: Natarajan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010290:Parents; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: BPD; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; FS-II; Functional Status-II; GH; General health; IPF; Interpersonal functioning; NICU; Neonatal intensive care unit