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Eur J Pediatr Surg 2023; 33(02): 129-137
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1758828
Review Article

Variability in the Reporting of Baseline Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcomes in Esophageal Atresia Publications: A Systematic Review

Nadine Teunissen 
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2   Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing, European Pediatric Surgical Audit, Leiden, the Netherlands
,
Julia Brendel
3   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
,
Simon Eaton 
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
4   Developmental Biology and Cancer Research and Teaching Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Nigel Hall
5   University Surgery Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Rebecca Thursfield
6   Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Ernest L.W. van Heurn
7   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma's Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
8   Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
,
Benno Ure
3   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
,
Rene Wijnen
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
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Abstract

Introduction As survival rates of infants born with esophageal atresia (EA) have improved considerably, research interests are shifting from viability to morbidity and longer-term outcomes. This review aims to identify all parameters studied in recent EA research and determine variability in their reporting, utilization, and definition.

Materials and Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic review of literature regarding the main EA care process, published between 2015 and 2021, combining the search term “esophageal atresia” with “morbidity,” “mortality,” “survival,” “outcome,” or “complication.” Described outcomes were extracted from included publications, along with study and baseline characteristics.

Results From 209 publications that met the inclusion criteria, 731 studied parameters were extracted and categorized into patient characteristics (n = 128), treatment and care process characteristics (n = 338), and outcomes (n = 265). Ninety-two of these were reported in more than 5% of included publications. Most frequently reported characteristics were sex (85%), EA type (74%), and repair type (60%). Most frequently reported outcomes were anastomotic stricture (72%), anastomotic leakage (68%), and mortality (66%).

Conclusion This study demonstrates considerable heterogeneity of studied parameters in EA research, emphasizing the need for standardized reporting to compare results of EA research. Additionally, the identified items may help develop an informed, evidence-based consensus on outcome measurement in esophageal atresia research and standardized data collection in registries or clinical audits, thereby enabling benchmarking and comparing care between centers, regions, and countries.

Keywords

esophageal atresia - outcome - characteristics

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 02 August 2022

Accepted: 04 October 2022

Article published online:
16 February 2023

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