Population-based study of congenital heart disease and revisits after pediatric tonsillectomy

Abstract

Objective: Accurate assessment of risk factors such as congenital heart disease (CHD) can aid in risk stratification of children presenting for surgery. Risk stratification is especially important in tonsillectomy ± adenoidectomy (T/A), a common pediatric procedure that is usually performed electively, but that has a high rate of adverse events. In this study, we examined the association of CHD with revisits after T/A. Methods: We identified children who underwent T/A at hospitals and hospital-owned facilities during 2010 to 2014 using the State Inpatient Databases and State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases of Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New York, and Utah. We evaluated the association between CHD severity and the occurrence of an unplanned hospital readmission or ED visit within 30 days following discharge using multivariable logistic regression. Results: The analysis included 244,598 patients, of whom 858 had minor or major CHD. In multivariable analysis, CHD was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day revisits (minor OR = 1.1; 95% CI: 0.8, 1.5; P =.65; major OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.9, 1.6; P =.34). Other comorbidities, including chromosomal anomalies (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.6; P