Paediatric anaesthesia & critical care
Exposure to Operative Anesthesia in Childhood and Subsequent Neurobehavioral Diagnoses: A Natural Experiment Using Appendectomy
Authors' conclusion
Although there is an association between neurobehavioral diagnoses and appendectomy, this association is not specific to anesthesia exposure and is stronger in medical admissions.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy children in Medicaid data, 2001–2018
- Participants
- 134,388 / 671,940 / 154,887 / 774,435
- Exposure
- Appendectomy vs matched healthy controls; medical admissions vs matched healthy controls
- Appendectomyn = 134,388
- Appendectomy controlsn = 671,940reference
- Medical admissionsn = 154,887
- Medical admission controlsn = 774,435reference
- Outcome
- Subsequent behavioral disorders (conduct, impulse control, oppositional defiant, ADHD) or mood/anxiety disorders (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder)
Methodological detailsnatural experiment, matched controls, difference-in-differences, Medicaid data
- Natural experiment
- Matched controls
- Difference-in-differences
- Medicaid data
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Behavioral disorders and mood or anxiety disorders
Hazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Appendectomy vs Appendectomy controlsbehavioral disorders
1.04(1.01–1.06)
P = 0.0010Appendectomy vs Appendectomy controlsmood or anxiety disorders
1.15(1.13–1.17)
P < 0.0001Medical admissions vs Medical admission controlsbehavioral disorders
1.20(1.18–1.22)
P < 0.0001Medical admissions vs Medical admission controlsmood or anxiety disorders
1.25(1.23–1.27)
P < 0.0001Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Difference-in-differences (medical admissions vs appendectomy, each vs matched controls)
- Medical patients had more subsequent neurobehavioral problems than appendectomy patients
Original publication
Exposure to Operative Anesthesia in Childhood and Subsequent Neurobehavioral Diagnoses: A Natural Experiment Using Appendectomy. Anesthesiology. Published 16 May 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →