African Annals of
Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF THORACIC AND CARDIO-VASCULAR SURGEONS
  • Abbreviation: Afr. Ann. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1994-7461
  • DOI: 10.5897/AATCVS
  • Start Year: 2005
  • Published Articles: 69

Full Length Research Paper

Modified ultrafiltration does not improve outcome of pediatric cardiac surgery: A meta-analysis

Mark Nelson Awori
  • Mark Nelson Awori
  • Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 19676-00202, Nairobi, Kenya.
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Jonathan Alan Awori
  • Jonathan Alan Awori
  • Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Pravin Momanyi Mokaya
  • Pravin Momanyi Mokaya
  • Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 19676-00202, Nairobi, Kenya.
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Kimberly Kipkoech
  • Kimberly Kipkoech
  • St George’s, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London SW17 0RE, UK.
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  •  Received: 15 August 2022
  •  Accepted: 08 September 2022
  •  Published: 30 September 2022

Abstract

Although it is generally accepted that modified ultrafiltration (MUF) improves operative outcomes in pediatric cardiac surgery, the evidence for this remains equivocal. Previous meta-analyses have been affected by significant patient and method heterogeneity. Google Scholar and PUBMED were searched between January 1st 1966 and May 31st 2022. We conducted a meta-analysis after pragmatically minimising patient and method heterogeneity. There were 631 patients (314 MUF vs 317 ‘No MUF’) in the the mortality analysis and 258 patients (129 MUF vs 129 ‘No MUF’) in the ‘duration-of-ventilation’ (DOV) and ‘length-of-hospital stay’ (LOHS) analyses. There was no significant difference in operative mortality, DOV and LOHS. There is no evidence that MUF improves these operative outcomes in paediatric cardiac surgery.

Key words: Modified ultrafiltration, pediatric, cardiac surgery.