Pediatric Resident University of Minnesota Medical School MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, United States
Background: Infants with single ventricle (SV) physiology are at high risk for malnutrition, which in turn can lead to worse postoperative outcomes, delayed neurodevelopment, and high mortality rates. Previous studies have examined factors that contribute to malnutrition in infants with congenital heart disease, but few studies focus on malnutrition in infants with SV physiology specifically. While these existing studies focus on the influence of nutrition on surgical outcomes for infants with SV physiology, more studies are needed to assess the specific risk factors contributing to malnutrition. Objective: In this study, we seek to identify factors associated with malnutrition at one year of age in patients with SV physiology. Design/Methods: We received IRB approval for a retrospective case series of infants with SV physiology. The study includes approximately 75 patients with SV physiology seen at University of Minnesota’s Medical Center between 2004 and 2022. We included those who underwent single ventricle palliation (most frequently hypoplastic left heart syndrome, double inlet left ventricle, and double outlet right ventricle). Exclusion criteria included patients with chromosomal abnormalities, deceased prior to one year of age, or lost to follow-up prior to one year. We are collecting data on variables such as timing and types of surgical interventions, respiratory complications, GI pathologies, feeding methods, and use of supplementation. Nutritional data, such as WHO z-scores for weight, length, and weight-for-length were recorded at the visit closest to one year of age. We will use Fisher's exact test for categorical variables as a univariate analysis to determine risk factors associated with adverse nutritional status.
