Abstract

BackgroundChildren undergoing surgical anastomosis for long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) often suffer from complications related to delayed oral feeding, which may impair their early development. Clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) is an effective technique to improve feeding outcomes. However, there are limited evidences on the application of CSE in these children.MethodsSince 2020, serial CSEs have been consistently implemented for children undergoing anastomosis for LGEA in our hospital. We conducted a retrospective study comparing 19 children who received CSE with 31 historical controls who did not. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to balance preoperative characteristics. We compared the time from surgery to full oral feeding and the rate of postoperative complications between the two groups. Growth curves for length-for-age Z score (LAZ) and weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) up to age 3 were fitted using generalized additive mixed models.ResultsThe median time to full oral feeding was 1.1 months [interquartile range (IQR), 0.8–2.4] in the CSE group and 1.5 months (IQR, 0.6–5.7) for controls. After IPTW, CSE was associated with a shorter time to full oral feeding, with a weighted hazard ratio of 2.26 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21 to 4.24]. LAZ growth curves significantly differed between groups (P = 0.001).ConclusionCSE was associated with the expedited achievement of full oral feeding and a more favorable growth pattern before 3 years of age.Graphical abstract

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.