Multicenter Validation of the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score as a Predictor of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation After Neonatal Cardiac Surgery*

Objectives: We sought to validate the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score, a novel disease severity index, as a predictor of outcome in a multicenter cohort of neonates who underwent cardiac surgery. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Seven tertiary-care referral centers. Patients: Neonates defined as age less than or equal to 30 days at the time of cardiac surgery. Interventions: Ventilation index, Vasoactive-Inotrope Score, serum lactate, and Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score were recorded for three postoperative time points: ICU admission, 6 hours, and 12 hours. Peak values, defined as the highest of the three measurements, were also noted. Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal was calculated as follows: ventilation index + Vasoactive-Inotrope Score + creatinine (change in creatinine from baseline x 10). Primary outcome was prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation, defined as greater than 96 hours. Receiver operative characteristic curves were generated, and abilities of variables to correctly classify prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation were compared using area under the curve values. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was also performed. Measurements and Main Results: We reviewed 275 neonates. Median age at surgery was 7 days (25th-75th percentile, 5-12 d), 86 (31%) had single ventricle anatomy, and 183 (67%) were classified as Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery Mortality Category 4 or 5. Prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation occurred in 89 patients (32%). At each postoperative time point, the area under the curve for prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly greater for the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score as compared to the ventilation index, Vasoactive-Inotrope Score, and serum lactate, with an area under the curve for peak Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.77-0.88). On multivariable analysis, peak Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score was independently associated with prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation, odds ratio (per 1 unit increase): 1.08 (95% CI, 1.04-1.12). Conclusions: In this multicenter cohort of neonates who underwent cardiac surgery, the Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal score was a reliable predictor of postoperative outcome and outperformed more traditional measures of disease complexity and severity.