Impact of Gastrostomy Tube and Nutritional Monitoring on Interstage Outcomes following Stage 1 Norwood Palliation

Objective: Stage I Norwood palliation (S1P) for functional single ventricle physiology carries a mortality risk of 15%, and patients remain at risk for adverse outcomes during the interstage period prior to second stage palliation (S2P). Feeding dysfunction (FD) is common in this population and may be associated with poorer outcomes. While there is wide institutional variation in nutritional management, there have been increasing efforts to ameliorate interstage mortality over the past decade emphasizing nutrition, feeding delivery, and home monitoring programs (HMPs). In 2009, we implemented an HMP, and by …