Survival in Children With Down Syndrome Undergoing Single-Ventricle Palliation

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 101; no. 5; pp. 1834 - 1841
• Main Authors: Colquitt, John L., MD, Morris, Shaine A., MD, MPH, Denfield, Susan W., MD, Fraser, Charles D., MD, Wang, Yunfei, PhD, Kyle, W. Buck, MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.05.2016
• Subjects: Airway Obstruction - etiology; Airway Obstruction - surgery; Cardiothoracic Surgery; Down Syndrome - mortality; Female; Heart Defects, Congenital - genetics; Heart Septal Defects - surgery; Heart Ventricles - abnormalities; Heart Ventricles - surgery; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Hypertension, Pulmonary - etiology; Infant; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Palliative Care; Postoperative Complications - mortality; Proportional Hazards Models; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; ROC Curve; Surgery; Survival Rate; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Resistance; Vasodilator Agents - therapeutic use
• DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.11.047
• ISSN: 0003-4975

Background We describe survival in patients with Down syndrome (DS) with single-ventricle anatomy and palliation and characterize risk factors associated with mortality. Methods All patients with DS and single-ventricle anatomy documented in the electronic medical record at our institution from January 1, 1992, to May 1, 2014, were compared with patients with unbalanced atrioventricular septal defects and single-ventricle anatomy, without DS or heterotaxy, during the same period. Survival analysis was performed to evaluate factors associated with mortality, including the presence of DS. Results There were 28 patients with DS and 30 patients without DS. One-year survival with DS was 75% (95% CI: 55% to 87%); 5-year survival was 61% (95% CI: 40% to 76%). All DS deaths except one occurred before 2 years of age. One-year non-DS survival was 93% (95% CI: 76% to 98%); 5-year survival was 85% (95% CI: 64% to 94%). Factors associated with death by univariable analysis included DS ( p  = 0.04), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of at least 3 Wood units × meter2 (WUm2 ) in the first year of life ( p  = 0.03), and moderate-to-severe atrioventricular valve regurgitation ( p  = 0.1). In combined analysis, when accounting for PVR of at least 3 WUm2 (hazard ratio [HR] 9.8, 95% CI: 1.1 to 83.5, p  = 0.04), DS was not associated with increased mortality (HR 1.5, 95% CI: 0.3 to 7.8, p  = 0.66). No patient with DS with PVR less than 3 WUm2 died. Conclusions Children with DS and single-ventricle anatomy have excellent survival when PVR is less than 3 WUm2 in the first year of life, with minimal mortality beyond 2 years of age. When accounting for PVR, DS alone is not associated with increased mortality in patients with single-ventricle anatomy.