Weekday vs. weekend repair of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula

PurposeWe hypothesize that weekend esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) repair has worse outcomes compared to procedures performed on weekdays.MethodsKids' Inpatient Database (1997-2009) was searched for EA/TEF in infants admitted at < 8 days of life. Cases were limited to patients who underwent repair during their hospitalization. Risk-adjusted multivariate analysis (MVA) compared complications, mortality, and resource utilization (length of stay [LOS] total charges [TC]) between weekday and weekend procedures.ResultsOverall, 861 EA/TEF cases with known day of repair were identified. Cohort survival was 96%. On risk-adjusted MVA, complication rates were higher with EA/TEF repair on a weekend (OR: 2.2) compared to a weekday. Additionally, complications (OR: 6.5) and LOS (OR: 9.3) were found to be higher among African American children compared to Caucasians. LOS was higher in patients with Medicaid (OR: 2.4) and repairs performed at non-teaching hospitals (OR: 3.2). Weekend vs. weekday procedure had no significant effect on mortality or resource utilization.ConclusionBy risk-adjusted MVA, increased complication rates for EA/TEF are seen in patients undergoing repair on weekends compared to weekdays. Additionally, African American children experienced higher complication rates compared to Caucasians. LOS after repair varies according to race, payer status, and hospital characteristics.