Duration of intubation after gastric pull up operation in young children

Abstract

Background: Gastric pull up is performed in patients with esophageal atresia (EA) and caustic injuries. In general, elective gastric pull up is performed when patients weigh above 10 kg. Obesity can cause respiratory compromises and lengthen duration of hospitalization and children may have poor general condition. Objectives: Our goal was to investigate whether patients who weighed less than 10 kg had better clinical status after gastric pull up operation compared to those who were more than 10 kg. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 90 patients who underwent gastric pull up due to esophageal atresia in Mofid Children Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Clinicopathological features of children were studied according to their weights on the operation day. Results: The mean age was 5 ± 2 years in patients who were above 10 kg and 3 ± 1 years in those less than 10 kg. Patients who were less than 10 kg had shorter duration of intubation, compared to the children who were above 10 kg (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Elective gastric pull up can be performed for children who are not above 10 kg. In such settings, the risk of respiratory infections and other complications would be significantly reduced because of shorter duration of intubation.