Tube Feeding Duration Associated with Socioeconomic Factors in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease: Single Center Study

Infants with congenital heart disease are often discharged home with tube feeding after undergoing cardiac surgery. Clinical factors have been shown to impact tube feeding duration after cardiac surgery, but there is less information about how socioeconomic factors impact tube feeding duration. This retrospective cohort study was conducted among infants who underwent congenital heart disease surgery within 60 days of birth and were discharged from the hospital with tube feeding from 2016 to 2023 (N = 102). Tube feeding duration, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), self-reported race and ethnicity, and insurance type were collected. Neighborhood SES was calculated based on the previously published method by Diez-Roux and using the Childhood Opportunity Index. The median total tube feeding duration was 490.5 days, with 60.8% infants requiring tube feeding for greater than 1 year. Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Hispanic/Latino patients had the highest median duration of tube feeding in days (1065). Longer length of stay, Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and lower neighborhood SES score (ORs: 1.023-7.773) were associated with increased odds of needing a feeding tube for greater than 1 year. Further understanding of what is leading to these disparities is needed to guide improvement in equity.