Search

Umuhoza, Christian; Zhang, Cherri; Hooft, Anneka; Trawin, Jessica; Uwiragiye, Emmanuel; Mfuranziza, Cynthia Grace; Nguyen, Vuong; Lewis, Peter; Kornblith, Aaron E; Kenya-Mughisha, Nathan; Wiens, Matthew O — 2024-04-18 <br/><strong>Background:</strong>In Sub-Saharan Africa, pediatric post-discharge death is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to mortality. To address morbidity and mortality during this period, it is critical to generate a representative evidence base throughout sub-Saharan Africa to inform resource prioritization, as well as policy and guideline development. To date, no studies have been conducted in Rwanda, limiting the understanding of the epidemiology of post-discharge mortality in this region. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of post-discharge mortality in a group of children admitted for suspected sepsis in Rwanda.<br /> <br /><strong>Methods:</strong> We prospectively recruited children aged 0-60 months admitted for suspected sepsis at two sites in Rwanda: Ruhengeri Referral Hospital in Musanze, Rwanda (rural) and University Hospital of Kigali in Kigali, Rwanda (urban) from May 2022 - February 2023. Clinical, laboratory and social variables were collected at admission. Following discharge, participants were followed up to 6 months to determine vital status and health-seeking. We analyzed data in two age-specific cohorts, defined a priori: 0-6m and 6-60m. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. Age-stratified Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the cumulative hazard of 6-month post-discharge mortality.<br /> <br /><strong>Findings:</strong>Of 1218 children enrolled, 115 died (11%): 50% in-hospital (n=57) and 50% after discharge (n=58). Post-discharge mortality was higher in 0-6m cohort (n=28/274, 10%) than in those 6-60m (30/850, 4%), and in Kigali (n=37/413, 9%) vs Ruhengeri (n=21/805, 3%). Median time to post-discharge death was ~1 month (38d in 0-6m; 33d in 6-60m). In both cohorts, increased odds of post-discharge death were associated with weight-for-age z-score <-3 (OR=3.16 (1.26-7.93), 0-6m; OR=7.44 (2.93-18.89), 6-60m) while higher maternal education was protective (OR=0.15 (0.03-0.85), 0-6m; OR=0.09 (0.02-0.75), 6-60m). Abnormal coma scale (OR=3.29 (1.47-7.38)), travel time of >2h (OR=4.63 (1.40-15.22)) and being referred for higher level of care (OR=4.09 (1.04-16.12)) were significant in 6-60 months. Younger children were at highest risk of cumulative mortality.<br /> <br /><strong>Ethics Declaration:</strong> Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (No 411/CMHS IRB/2021); University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (EC/CHUK/005/2022), University of California San Francisco (381688) and the University of British Columbia (H21-02795).<br />

Hooft, Anneka; Kornblith, Aaron E; Umhoza, Christian; Trawin, Jessica; Mfuranziza, Cynthia Grace; Uwiragiye, Emmanuel; Zhang, Cherri; Nguyen, Vuong; Lewis, Peter; Wiens, Matthew O — 2024-04-11 <br /><strong>NOTE for restricted files:</strong> If you are not yet a CoLab member, please complete our <a href = "https://rc.bcchr.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=EDCYL7AC79">membership application survey</a> to gain access to restricted files within 2 business days. <br />Some files may remain restricted to CoLab members. These files are deemed more sensitive by the file owner and are meant to be shared on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the CoLab coordinator at <a href = mailto:sepsiscolab@bccchr.ca>sepsiscolab@bcchr.ca</a> or visit our <a href = "https://wfpiccs.org/pediatric-sepsis-colab/">website</a>. <br/><strong>Background:</strong>Mortality following hospital discharge remains a significant threat to child health, particularly in resource-limited settings. In Uganda, the Smart Discharges risk-prediction models have demonstrated success in their ability to predict those at highest risk of death after discharge and use this to guide a risk-based approach to post-discharge care in children admitted with suspected sepsis. Respective prediction models for post-discharge mortality in ages 0-6 months and ages 6-60 months were developed in this cohort but have not yet been validated outside of Uganda. This study aimed to externally validate existing risk prediction models for pediatric post-discharge mortality within the Rwandan context.<br /> <br /><strong>Methods:</strong> Prospective cohort of children 0d-60 mos admitted with suspected sepsis at two hospitals in Rwanda: Ruhengeri Referral Hospital in Musanze (rural) and University Hospital of Kigali in Kigali (urban) from May 2022 to February 2023. Vital status follow up was conducted at 2-, 4- and 6-months post-discharge.<br /> <br />Five existing models from Smart Discharges Uganda were validated in this cohort: two models for children 0-6 months, and three for children 6-60 months. Models were applied to each participant in the Rwanda cohort to obtain a risk score which was then used to calculate predicted probability of post-discharge death. Model performance was evaluated by comparing to observed outcomes and to determine sensitivity, specificity, and AUROC. Threshold was set at 80% sensitivity. .<br /> <br /><strong>Findings:</strong>In a cohort of 1218 children, 1123 children (96.7%) completed follow up. The overall rate of post-discharge mortality was 4.8% (n=58). The highest performing models had an AUROC of 0.75 (0-6 mos) and 0.74 (6-60mos), respectively. All five prediction models tested achieved an AUROC greater than 0.7 (range 0.706 - 0.738). Model degradation (determined by the percent reduction in AUC between the original model and the derived model) was relatively low, ranging from from 1.1% to 7.7%. Calibration plots showed good calibration for all models at predicted probabilities below 10%. There were too few outcomes to assess calibration among those at higher levels of predicted risk. <br /> <br /><strong>Data Processing Methods:</strong> <br /> <br /><strong>Ethics Declaration:</strong> Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (No 411/CMHS IRB/2021); University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (EC/CHUK/005/2022), University of California San Francisco (381688) and the University of British Columbia (H21-02795).<br />