RESULTSOf the 88 children who had biopsies during OGD, 4 (4.5%) children (three boys, one girl; three Chinese, one Caucasian) were diagnosed with EoE. Their median age was 9.5 (range 4.0-12.0) years. The main clinical presentations were abdominal pain (in the three older children) and vomiting (in the youngest child). Three children had a history of atopy. Three children were diagnosed with EoE in the original histology reports, while one was diagnosed after the second review following histology demonstrating > 15 eosinophil granulocytes per high power field and microabscess formation. Endoscopy findings revealed oesophagitis in two children, one of whom was already on acid suppression therapy. Although three children were started on acid suppression therapy, they continued to be symptomatic. One child was also treated with swallowed fluticasone and two with food allergen avoidance, resulting in symptom improvement.CONCLUSION Although EoE is uncommon in Singapore, greater awareness is needed among family physicians and general paediatricians. Paediatric gastroenterologists should alert pathologists when sending biopsy specimens that are suspicious for EoE.

Aim:We explored the association between preoperative anthropometry and biochemistry, and postoperative outcomes in infants with CHD after cardiac surgery, as infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) often have feeding difficulties and malnutrition.MethodologyThis was a retrospective review of infants (≤ 1-year-old) who underwent congenital heart surgery. Preoperative anthropometryin terms of preoperative weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), length-for-age z-score (LAZ), as well as preoperative serum albumin and hemoglobin concentrations, were evaluated against 6-month mortality, and morbidity outcomes including postoperative complications, vasoactive inotrope score, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit and in hospital, using the logistic regression or median regression models accounting for infant-level clustering.ResultsOne hundred and ninety-nine operations were performed in 167 infants. Mean gestational age at birth was 38.0 (SD 2.2) weeks (range 26 to 41 weeks). Thirty (18.0%) infants were born preterm (<37 weeks). The commonest acyanotic and cyanotic lesions were ventricular septal defect (26.3%, 44/167), and tetralogy of Fallot (13.8%, 23/167), respectively. Mean age at cardiac surgery was 94 (SD 95) days. Feeding difficulties, including increased work of breathing during feeding, diaphoresis, choking or coughing during feeding, and inability to complete feeds, was present in 54.3% (108/199) of infants prior to surgery, of which 21.6% (43/199) required tube feeding. The mean preoperative WAZ was−1.31 (SD 1.79). Logistic regression models showed that low preoperative WAZ was associated with increased risk of postoperative complications (odds ratio 1.82; p = 0.02), and 6-month mortality (odds ratio 2.38; p = 0.008) following CHD surgery. There was no meaningful association between the other preoperative variables and other outcomes.ConclusionMore than 50% of infants with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery within the first year of life have feeding difficulties, of which 22% require to be tube-fed. Low preoperative WAZ is associated with increased postoperative complications and 6-month mortality.