Neonatal management of prenatally suspected coarctation of the aorta

OBJECTIVES: (a) To determine the false-positive rate among newborns with prenatally suspected coarctation of the aorta (CoA) within the UCLA Health system, (b) to compare patient and maternal interventions and outcomes between false-positive cases and normal controls, and (c) to determine the timing of clinical presentation of CoA. METHODS: We performed a single-center, retrospective case control study of all fetuses with suspected isolated CoA who underwent both fetal echocardiographic evaluation and subsequent delivery at UCLA between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2018. Maternal and neonatal medical records were reviewed for demographic and clinical data, for cases of suspected CoA and for controls. A separate review of our institution's surgical database was performed to identify characteristics of all patients (neonatal and pediatric) with isolated CoA who underwent surgical repair during the same time period. RESULTS: Among the 50 fetal cases of isolated suspected CoA who delivered at our institution, 47 patients (94%) were found to be normal (false positives). Compared with normal controls, patients with suspected CoA were more likely to have delayed maternal bonding, delayed feeding, admission to the intensive care unit, performance of neonatal echocardiograms, initiation of intravenous fluids and initiation of prostaglandin E1, and a longer length of hospital stay. Among the 38 patients undergoing CoA repair at our institution during the study period, four patients were prenatally diagnosed and no patient presented clinically with symptoms before 48 hours after delivery. CONCLUSION: Compared with normal controls, patients with prenatally suspected coarctation are more likely to have delayed maternal bonding, delayed feeding, more frequent neonatal echocardiograms, and longer length of hospital stay. Further refinement of neonatal management may improve postnatal care.