Esophageal atresia: predicting outcomes and decreasing mortality

This literature review is devoted to the problem of predicting in-hospital mortality in newborns with esophageal atresia (EA). According to epidemiological study data, in developed countries, the mortality rate in newborns with EA ranges from 9% to 11% over the past 20 years. Three classifications were developed, Waterston 1962, Montreal 1993, and Spitz 1994, to assess the prognostic significance of risk factors. They considered birth weight, the presence of concomitant congenital malformations and pneumonia, and the need for mechanical ventilation. The choice of a model for predicting outcomes depends on the level of health care and other factors, such as prematurity, low birth weight, late diagnosis, and infectious complications. These factors have a greater impact on patient survival in developing countries than in developed ones, where insurmountable risk factors come out on top: combined congenital malformations and very low birth weight. Also, the magnitude of diastasis between segments of the esophagus creates difficulties in choosing surgical tactics and managing such patients in the postoperative period. In addition, the management of such patients in the intensive care unit, both preoperatively and postoperatively, has a significant impact on the outcome. The literature review underlined "pain points" in the treatment of newborns with EA in regions with different levels of medical care, the consideration of which will allow the achievement of better results.