Materials and Methods
To capture epidemiological data on children with EA-TEF with concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection, a 24-question survey was created by the International Network of Esophageal Atresia (INoEA). Links to this survey were published on the Esophageal Atresia Global Support Groups, European Reference Networks for Rare and Inherited and congenital anomalies (ERNICA). In addition, members of INoEA were emailed survey links. Membership of these groups consist of clinicians involved in the care of EA-TEF patients, including gastroenterologists, surgeons and pulmonologists and otolaryngologists.
This survey was authorised by the Ethics Committee of the CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Canada (#2020-2877), with waiver of consent approved.
Clinicians were asked to report baseline data regarding patient age, gender, type of EA-TEF as well as known associated cardiac malformations, respiratory comorbidities and gastrointestinal comorbidities and medication the patient was taking at baseline at time of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Outcomes post infection were then recorded, including whether the patient required hospitalization, intensive care admission, disease complications or other treatments administered acutely during infection
Fischer Exact Test was used to determine variables that were significantly associated with hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2.
The survey ran from April 2020 and data was collected until April 2022.