Influence of Gender on Mortality and Need for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Neonates with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Aim: To evaluate the influence of gender in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) on survival and to assess the necessity of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Patients and Methods: All parturients with newborns suffering from CDH were included. A total of 425 infants with CDH were analyzed. The primary outcome parameters evaluated were the necessity of ECMO and the survival. Secondary outcome parameters were the mode of delivery, the arterial umbilical cord pH value, the Apgar score, and the postpartum day of death. Cases with incomplete data were excluded. Results: An analysis of the gender distribution of neonates in our study revealed that more males (n=248) than females (n=177) suffered from CDH. This represented a male versus female gender ratio of 58.4% to 41.6%, a significantly different ratio from that for neonates without CDH (p=0.003). Comparing both groups, statistical analysis showed no significant differences in mode of delivery, arterial umbilical cord blood pH, Apgar score, or CDH-relevant parameters of postpartum survival, including the need for ECMO therapy. Conclusion: CDH occurred significantly more frequently in male newborns. However, there were no significant differences in postnatal survival nor in the necessity of ECMO therapy.