Post‐operative fluid overload as a predictor of hospital and long‐term outcomes in a pediatric heart transplant population

BACKGROUND Pediatric patients undergoing heart transplant have a number of factors predisposing them to become fluid-overloaded, including capillary leak syndrome. Capillary leak and FO are associated with organ injury and may influence both short- and long-term outcomes. This study aimed to 1) determine the extent, timing, and predictors of post-operative FO and 2) investigate the association of FO with clinically important outcomes. METHODS Between 2000 and 2012, 70 children less than 6 years old had a heart transplant at our institution. This was a secondary analysis of data from an ongoing prospective cohort study. RESULTS FO, defined as cumulative fluid balance greater than 10% of body weight in the first 5 post-operative days, occurred in 16/70 patients (23%); 7 of these had more than 20% FO. Shorter donor ischemic time and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time were independently associated with increased risk of FO. FO >20% was a statistically significant independent predictor of mortality (P = .005), ventilation time, and PICU length of stay. There was no statistically significant association between identified neurodevelopment domains and FO. CONCLUSIONS Our single-center experience demonstrates that FO was common after pediatric heart transplant and was associated with worse clinical outcomes. FO is a potentially modifiable factor, and research is needed to better determine risk factors and whether intervention to reduce FO can improve outcomes in pediatric heart transplant patients.