Objectives: The goal of this study is to describe the 30-day postoperative sequelae of pediatric choanal atresia repair and identify predictive factors for adverse events.
Study design: The American College of Surgeons' National Surgery Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric (NSQIP-P) database was searched between January 2012 and December 2015 to identify pediatric patients status post choanal atresia repair. Postoperative outcomes included surgical site complications, readmissions, and total length of stay.
Results: A total of 178 children underwent choanal atresia repair. The overall complication rate was 6.2%, while the 30-day readmission rate was 15%. Patients with CHARGE had a longer mean duration of hospitalization (26.91 days vs 8.05 days, P = .013). Additionally, patients ≤10 days of age had longer duration of hospitalization (17.84 days vs 9.24 days, P ≤ .001) and higher readmission rates (33.30% vs 10.1%, P = .001). Among the nonsyndromic cohort, ventilator dependence was a predictor of postoperative complications (odds ratio [OR] = 16.08, P < .001), higher readmission rates (OR = 5.46, P = .002), and a longer hospital stay (OR = 18.69, P < .001).
Conclusion: Analysis of the 2012-2015 NSQIP-P data set reveals that patients with a diagnosis of CHARGE and those ≤10 days of age have a longer duration of hospitalization. Increased risk of postoperative complications and longer duration of hospitalization were both influenced by chronic steroid use and ventilator dependence.
Keywords: CHARGE syndrome; choanal atresia; compromised airway; length of stay; postoperative complications.