Presentation Description
Institution: Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai - Starship Hospital - Auckland , Aotearoa New Zealand
Aims
Oesophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (OA/TOF) is a neonatal congenital condition usually repaired within the first days of life. It is often associated with other congenital anomalies, including those seen in VACTERL association. Children with OA/TOF frequently experience long-term aerodigestive tract difficulties, requiring ongoing multidisciplinary care from a variety of different specialties and allied health services. Our aim was to determine the benefit of a coordinated multidisciplinary Aerodigestive follow up clinic for patients with OA/TOF.
Methodology
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent OA/TOF repair at Starship Hospital between 2008 and 2022. Follow up data was collected from Paediatric Surgery, Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology (ORL), Gastroenterology, Respiratory, Dietetics and Speech Language Therapy (SLT), and was categorised according to clinics, investigations and operative visits. We compared the frequency of combined multidisciplinary follow-up visits versus standalone visits to evaluate the impact of integrated care.
Results
A total of 96 patients were identified as having OA/TOF repairs, and 79 were included in the analysis. The median length of hospital stay from birth to discharge was 30 days. During the first year of life, patients had an average of 5.8 clinic visits (range 0-33), 0.8 diagnostic investigations (range 0-4), and 1.9 operative procedures (range 0-17).
Conclusions
Our results highlight the significant and diverse follow up care that OA/TOF patients require following repair. The establishment of a multidisciplinary Aerodigestive follow up clinic is beneficial as it allows for optimised and coordinated care between specialties, resulting in less overall follow up visits, reduced number of general anaesthetics, and reduced time spent in hospital. A review of data following the establishment of a multidisciplinary clinic at Starship Hospital is planned.
Speakers
Authors
Authors
Dr Annabel Noakes - , Dr James Hamill - , Dr Edward Toll -