Telementoring in Minimally Invasive Esophageal Atresia Repair: Results of a Case-Control Study and Lessons Learned from the TIC-PEA Study (Telemedical Interdisciplinary Care for Patients with Esophageal Atresia)

Minimally invasive esophageal atresia (EA) repair is deemed one of the most demanding procedures in pediatric surgery. Open repair is considered the gold standard and learning opportunities for minimally invasive repairs remain scarce. “Telemedical Interdisciplinary Care for Patients with Esophageal Atresia (TIC-PEA)” offers free access to an interdisciplinary network of experts for telemedical consultation (telementoring). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in TIC-PEA patients compared to the general population. TIC-PEA patients were matched and compared to controls regarding the use of MIS, patient characteristics, and complications. Patients (n = 31) were included at a mean age of 62.8 days (95%-CI: 41.4–84.3, 77% after the primary esophageal repair). The odds-ratio to have MIS was 4.03 (95%-confidence interval: 0.79–20.55) for esophageal anastomosis and 4.60 (95%-confidence interval: 0.87–24.22) for tracheoesophageal fistula-repair in the TIC-PEA group. Telementoring offered the chance to select the ideal candidate for MIS, plan the procedure, and review intraoperative images and videos with the expert. Telementoring as offered is ideal to promote MIS for EA and helps to address the individual learning curve. In order to maximize benefits, patients need to be included prior to the first esophageal procedure.