Key result
Under-five mortality for children with severe congenital heart defects decreased between 2004-2008 and 2012-2016 (HR 0.79), with overall survival to age five increasing from 87.5% to 89.6%.
Why the study?
Children with CHD are twice as likely to be born preterm, but descriptions of recent trends in long-term survival by gestational age at birth are lacking.
How has survival to age 5 years changed over time by gestational age at birth for children with severe congenital heart defects?
Cohort (n=5,953,598)
Yes
How has survival to age 5 years changed over time by gestational age at birth for children with severe congenital heart defects?
Hazard Ratio: 0.79 (95% CI 0.71–0.88)
Absolute Risk Reduction: 2.1%
Survival to age 5 for children with severe congenital heart defects in England improved to nearly 90% in 2012-2016, driven primarily by increased survival in term children.
Improved 5-year survival in severe CHD should not yet change practice; leaves open gestational age-specific drivers and care advances.
BACKGROUND: Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) are twice as likely as their peers to be born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation), yet descriptions of recent trends in long-term survival by gestational age at birth (GA) are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To quantify changes in survival to age 5 years of children in England with severe CHD by GA. METHODS: We estimated changes in survival to age five of children with severe CHD and all other children born in England between April 2004 and March 2016, overall and by GA-group using linked hospital and mortality records. RESULTS: Of 5,953,598 livebirths, 5.7% (339,080 of 5,953,598) were born preterm, 0.35% (20,648 of 5,953,598) died before age five and 3.6 per 1000 (21,291 of 5,953,598) had severe CHD. Adjusting for GA, under-five mortality rates fell at a similar rate between 2004-2008 and 2012-2016 for children with severe CHD (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.79, 95% CI 0.71, 0.88) and all other children (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.76, 0.81). For children with severe CHD, overall survival to age five increased from 87.5% (95% CI 86.6, 88.4) in 2004-2008 to 89.6% (95% CI 88.9, 90.3) in 2012-2016. There was strong evidence for better survival in the ≥39-week group (90.2%, 95% CI 89.1, 91.2 to 93%, 95% CI 92.4, 93.9), weaker evidence at 24-31 and 37-38 weeks and no evidence at 32-36 weeks. We estimate that 51 deaths (95% CI 24, 77) per year in children with severe CHD were averted in 2012-2016 compared to what would have been the case had 2004-2008 mortality rates persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Nine out of 10 children with severe CHD in 2012-2016 survived to age five. The small improvement in survival over the study period was driven by increased survival in term children. Most children with severe CHD are reaching school age and may require additional support by schools and healthcare services.
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Gimeno et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Severe congenital heart defects (n=5,953,598). Birth period 2012-2016 vs. Birth period 2004-2008 was evaluated on Under-five mortality (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.71, 0.88). Under-five mortality for children with severe congenital heart defects decreased between 2004-2008 and 2012-2016 (HR 0.79), with overall survival to age five increasing from 87.5% to 89.6%.
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