Impact of congenital heart disease on outcomes after primary repair of esophageal atresia: a retrospective observational study using a nationwide database in Japan

To verify the association between congenital heart disease (CHD) and postoperative complications after primary repair of esophageal atresia in patients from a Japanese nationwide database. We identified babies in the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database who underwent radical surgery for esophageal atresia from 2010 to 2016. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to evaluate the occurrence of anastomotic leakage and anastomotic stricture. Among 431 patients who underwent primary anastomosis, 114 patients (27%) had CHD. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 77 patients (17.9%) and stricture in 154 (35.7%). Compared with patients whose anesthetic duration was less than 240 min, those with anesthesia lasting from 240 to 360 min (odds ratio 2.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–5.27; p = 0.02) or more than 360 min (odds ratio 4.10; 95% CI 1.69–9.96; p = 0.002) were more likely to experience anastomotic leakage. Male patients had a lower risk of anastomotic stricture than female patients (odds ratio 0.65; 95% CI 0.43–0.9; p = 0.04). CHD was not associated with anastomotic leakage or stricture. The only significant predictor of anastomotic leakage was duration of anesthesia.