Neurodevelopmental sequelae are prevalent among patients with congenital heart defects (CHD). In a study of infants and children with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), we sought to identify those at risk for abnormal neurodevelopment and to test associations between socioeconomic and medical factors with neurodevelopment deficits. Single-center retrospective observational study of patients with repaired TOF that were evaluated at the institution’s Cardiac Kids Developmental Follow-up Program (CKDP) between 2012 and 2018. Main outcomes included neurodevelopmental test scores from the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (BINS), Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS), and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III). Mixed effects linear regression and marginal logistic regression models tested relationships between patient characteristics and outcomes. Sub-analyses were conducted to test correlations between initial and later neurodevelopment tests. In total, 49 patients were included, predominantly male (n = 33) and white (n = 28), first evaluated at a median age of 4.5 months. Forty-three percent of patients (n = 16) had deficits in the BINS, the earliest screening test. Several socioeconomic parameters and measures of disease complexity were associated with neurodevelopment, independently of genetic syndrome. Early BINS and PDMS performed in infancy were associated with Bayley-III scores performed after 1 year of age. Early screening identifies TOF patients at risk for abnormal neurodevelopment. Socioeconomic factors and disease complexity are associated with abnormal neurodevelopment and should be taken into account in the risk stratification and follow-up of these patients. Early evaluation with BINS and PDMS is suggested for detection of early deficits.

BackgroundWe sought to identify patient and surgical factors associated with time to hospital discharge in patients undergoing complete repair for tetralogy of Fallot.Methods and ResultsWe performed a prospective cohort study of patients with tetralogy of Fallot admitted for complete repair between May 1, 2012 and June 2, 2017 at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with detailed demographic, clinical, and operative characteristics. The primary outcome was time to hospital discharge. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify patient and operative predictors of time to hospital discharge. We enrolled 151 subjects, 62.8% male, 65.6% non‐Hispanic white, and 9.9% non‐Hispanic black. The median time to hospital discharge was 7 days (interquartile range 4, 12). Five patients died in the hospital, all of whom underwent tetralogy of Fallot repair beyond the neonatal period. Greater birth weight was associated with higher rate of hospital discharge (hazard ratio [HR]=1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.11, 1.64), while absent pulmonary valve versus pulmonary stenosis (HR=0.27, 95% CI=0.08, 0.91), pulmonary valve atresia versus pulmonary stenosis (HR=0.57, 95% CI=0.33, 0.97), presence of aortopulmonary collaterals (HR=0.44, 95% CI=0.24, 0.84), complete repair performed in the neonatal period (<30 days of life) (HR=0.45, 95% CI=0.27, 0.75), more than 1 cardiopulmonary bypass run (HR=0.33, 95% CI=0.18, 0.61), and longer aortic cross‐clamp time (HR [per 10 minutes]=0.88, 95% CI=0.79, 0.97) were associated with lower rate of hospital discharge.ConclusionsPostoperative hospital stay after complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot is in part determined by patient and operative factors. Some (eg, surgical strategy for the symptomatic neonate) may be modifiable. These results may impact patient counseling, choice of surgical approach, and postoperative care.

Background Substance use is a risk factor for COVID-19 infection and adverse outcomes. However, reasons for elevated risk for COVID-19 in substance users are not well understood. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate whether alcohol or other drug use is associated with adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for COVID-19 mitigation. Preregistered analyses tested the hypothesis that greater use of alcohol and other drugs would be associated with lower CDC guideline adherence. A secondary objective was to determine whether substance use was associated with the likelihood of COVID-19 testing or outcome. Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to a convenience sample recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform from June 18 to July 19, 2020. Individuals aged 18 years or older and residing in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, or Rhode Island were eligible to participate. The exposure of interest was past 7-day use of alcohol, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cannabis, stimulants, and nonmedical opioids. The primary outcome was CDC guideline adherence measured using a scale developed from behaviors advised to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Secondary outcomes were likelihood of COVID-19 testing and a positive COVID-19 test result. All analyses accounted for the sociodemographic characteristics. Results The sample consisted of 1084 individuals (mean age 40.9 [SD 13.4] years): 529 (48.8%) men, 543 (50.1%) women, 12 (1.1%) other gender identity, 742 (68.5%) White individuals, 267 (24.6%) Black individuals, and 276 (25.5%) Hispanic individuals. Daily opioid users reported lower CDC guideline adherence than nondaily users (B=–0.24, 95% CI –0.44 to –0.05) and nonusers (B=–0.57, 95% CI –0.76 to –0.38). Daily alcohol drinkers reported lower adherence than nondaily drinkers (B=–0.16, 95% CI –0.30 to –0.02). Nondaily alcohol drinkers reported higher adherence than nondrinkers (B=0.10, 95% CI 0.02-0.17). Daily opioid use was related to greater odds of COVID-19 testing, and daily stimulant use was related to greater odds of a positive COVID-19 test. Conclusions In a regionally-specific, racially, and ethnically diverse convenience sample, adults who engaged in daily alcohol or opioid use reported lower CDC guideline adherence for COVID-19 mitigation. Any opioid use was associated with greater odds of COVID-19 testing, and daily stimulant use was associated with greater odds of COVID-19 infection. Cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cannabis, or stimulant use were not statistically associated with CDC guideline adherence, after accounting for sociodemographic covariates and other substance use variables. Findings support further investigation into whether COVID-19 testing and vaccination should be expanded among individuals with substance-related risk factors.

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