Clinical practice and outcomes in European pediatric cardiac anesthesia: A secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies

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BACKGROUND: Despite advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care, pediatric cardiac patients remain at an increased risk of adverse events. The APRICOT (2017) study aimed to establish the incidence of severe critical events in children undergoing anesthesia in Europe, while the NECTARINE (2021) study aimed to assess anesthesia practices and outcomes in neonates and infants under 60 weeks postconceptual age. Our goal was to conduct a secondary analysis of the cardiac cohorts from these two studies to determine mortality rates and other outcomes after cardiac procedures at 30 and 90 days, identify factors influencing mortality, illustrate clinical practices, and assess the methodology of the two studies. METHODS: Sub-analysis of the data from APRICOT and NECTARINE. Data representativity was assessed through a systematic categorization process. European countries were divided into four income groups based on their gross national income per capita. Subsequently, the total number of patients across all four income groups was calculated for both the Apricot and Nectarine studies, and then the specific contribution of each income group to the total population of each study was determined. RESULTS: This analysis comprised 1016 cases (Apricot, n = 476 and Nectarine, n = 540). There was a considerable variability in clinical practice in Europe. The overall mortality rates were 0.84% (APRICOT) and 8.1% (NECTARINE). In both cohorts, substantial mortality was observed among low-age and low-weight infants. Stratifying the participating countries by income illustrated that the data originated from highest-income and upper-middle-income European countries and were not representative of low-income and middle-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: In this secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies, we found that fatal cases primarily occurred in low-age and low-weight neonates and infants. EDITORIAL COMMENT: This secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies focused on pediatric cardiac surgical cases. Outcomes differed according to weight and age of the children, where mortality risk was higher for very young and low-weight children.

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