title: Interstage Weight Gain Is Associated With Survival After First-Stage Single-Ventricle Palliation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low birth and operative weight have been identified as risk factors for death after first-stage single-ventricle palliation. We hypothesize that weight gain after the first-stage operation is associated with transplant-free interstage survival to admission for the second-stage operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used historical data from the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative database to conduct a longitudinal study to assess the association between weight gain and transplant-free interstage survival. The primary predictor was weight gain. The primary outcome was transplant-free survival. We constructed a repeated-measures logistic regression model using the general estimating equation method to examine the association between weight gain and transplant-free interstage survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population included 1,501 infants who were discharged alive from the first-stage single-ventricle palliation between June 2008 and January 2015. Patients who underwent a hybrid operation (n = 132) or were lost to follow-up (n = 11) were excluded. Transplant-free interstage survival was 90% (1,228 of 1,358). The mean weight gain was 2.5 (SD, 1.0) kg. Adjusted for age at the time of each measurement, the number of measurements, age at discharge from the first-stage operation, sex, diagnosis, postoperative arrhythmia, postoperative complications, and discharge antibiotic therapy, each 100-g increase in weight was associated with an odds ratio of transplant-free interstage survival of 1.03 (95% confidence limit, 1.01, 1.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After first-stage single-ventricle palliation, interstage weight gain is significantly associated with transplant-free interstage survival.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: cevans@smail.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sorkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Danielle S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Brody
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wehman
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Sunjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaushal
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Geoffrey L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010166:Palliative Care; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*