[Perioperative anesthetic exposure and the neurodevelopmental status of 1 year old baby underwent neonatal cardiac surgery]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the association between perioperative anesthetic exposure and neurodevelopmental status at age 1 year old baby underwent complex cardiac surgery.

Methods: One hundred and fifteen infants were selected from Sichuan People's Hospital. A cohort study was conducted on neonates who underwent complex cardiac surgery. The babies were performed brain MRI before the operation and 7 days after the operation, and 12-month neurodevelopmental testing was carried out with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (the third Edition, Bayley-III). Doses of volatile anesthetics (VAA), benzodiazepines, and opioids were determined during the 12 months. The association between peri-operative anesthetic exposure and 12-month neurodevelopmental status were analyzed.

Results: A total of 92 infants were enrolled for the final analysis. Their Bayley-III scores of cognitive, language, and movement were as follows: 104.2 ± 14.7, 85.6 ± 11.3, and 86.9 ± 13.5, respectively. MRI results showed that 17 infants showed pre-operative brain injury and 25 infants showed new post-operative injury. After performing the analysis of stepwise multivariable linear regression, MRI showed the factors affecting neurodevelopment of newborn include the new post-operative injury, higher VAA exposure, fentanyl dose, benzodiazepine dose, ICU length of stay, pre-operative mean regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO₂), and abnormal chromosomes.

Conclusion: VAA exposure and ICU length of stay are associated with poor neurodevelopmental scores at 12 months of age. Further studies need to identify the potential modifiable factors in the peri-operative care of neonates to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.