title: Trends in treatment and in-hospital mortality for neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We performed a retrospective cohort study in order to examine recent trends in use of post-partum treatments and in-hospital mortality for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Included were infants with CDH, born in 2003 to 2012 and hospitalized at ⩽7 days of age at one of 33 United States tertiary referral children's hospitals with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs. In-hospital mortality as well as use of ECMO, surfactant and a variety of vasodilators were examined for trends during the study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inclusion criteria were met by 3123 infants with CDH. Among 2423 term or near-term infants, odds of death decreased annually for those with isolated or complex CDH. For 700 premature or low-birth weight infants with CDH, in-hospital mortality did not change. Among treatments for CDH, increasing with time in the study cohort were use of milrinone and sildenafil individually, and use of multiple vasodilators during the hospitalization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival improved in large subgroups of term or near-term infants with CDH in this 10-year multicenter cohort, temporally associated with increasing use of multiple vasodilators. Use of vasodilators for infants with CDH is increasing despite a lack of evidence supporting efficacy or safety. Prospective research is needed to clarify specific causal effects contributing to improving survival in these infants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Hagadorn
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Brownell
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Urology and Research, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Trzaski
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Urology and Research, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047929:Term Birth; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D014665:Vasodilator Agents