Congenital heart diseaseCohort study
Association of Postnatal Opioid Exposure and 2-Year Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery
- Retrospective cohort study
- single-centre
Authors' conclusion
Greater postnatal exposure to opioids was associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes across cognitive, language, and motor domains, independent of other less modifiable factors.
Study context
- Population
- Infants undergoing congenital heart surgery32% STS-EACTS category 4 or 5
- Participants
- 526 infants
- Exposure
- Cumulative opioid exposure over the first year of life
- Outcome
- Bayley-III/IV cognitive, language and motor scores
- Follow-up
- 2 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Bayley-III/IV scores per log-transformed morphine mg equivalents (adjusted)
Cognitive: β per log-transformed morphine mg equivalents
−1.0, P = 0.04
Language: β
−1.2, P = 0.04
Motor: β
−1.1, P = 0.02
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Unadjusted analyses
- Higher opioid exposure associated with worse scores in all 3 Bayley-III/IV domains
- all P < 0.05
Other factors associated with Bayley-III/IV scores
- Total hospital length of stay, prematurity, genetic syndromes and worse neighborhood socioeconomic status associated with worse scores across all domains
- all P < 0.05
Original publication
Association of Postnatal Opioid Exposure and 2-Year Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 10 September 2024. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2024.06.033
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it