Abstract
Term and near-term newborn infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), symptomatic in the first 24 h of life or diagnosed antenatally, without other significant malformations were treated at our hospital with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) as a primary modality of ventilation and elective delay in surgical repair after a period of stabilisation. When unresponsive to HFOV, infants were treated with surfactant, inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to achieve pre-operative stabilisation. From October 1994 to August 1998, 28 newborn infants with CDH were managed with such treatment; mean birth weight was 3184 ± 535 g and gestational age 38.5 ± 1.85 weeks. Age at operation was 68 ± 35 h. In 9 cases, large diaphragmatic defects required the use of a prosthetic patch (Gore-tex). HFOV was used for primary ventilation in inborn patients (n = 16); outborn infants (n = 12) were placed on HFOV at admittance. A total of 15 patients (53%) were stabilised using only HFOV. Bovine surfactant was administered in 12 infants and 4 responded. iNO was used in eight infants and five responded. ECMO was used in three outborn patients and one survived. Overall, out of 28 infants, 25 survived (89%). Neurological examination (Amiel-Tison and Grenier) of 15 infants showed transient anomalies at 6 months in 40% of infants, while a normal neurological examination was present in all patients at 1 year. The development quotient (Griffiths scales) was within normal values in ten and mildly abnormal in two infants tested at 1 year.
Conclusion Management based on early HFOV, eventually associated with surfactant, iNO and ECMO to achieve preoperative stabilisation, resulted in a good survival rate (89%) and good neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age in infants with CDH.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 10 November 1998 and in revised form: 3 March 1999 / Accepted: 16 March 1999
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Somaschini, M., Locatelli, G., Salvoni, L. et al. Impact of new treatments for respiratory failure on outcome of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Eur J Pediatr 158, 780–784 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004310051203
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004310051203