AUTHOR=Ye Xiuxia , Dong Shumei , Deng Yujiao , Jiang Chuan , Kong Yanting , Tang Lili , Wang Yanlin , Bei Fei , Hong Haifa TITLE=Preoperative Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Higher Vasoactive-Inotropic Scores Following Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Chinese Children JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.671289 DOI=10.3389/fped.2021.671289 ISSN=2296-2360 ABSTRACT=The relationship between vitamin D and cardiovascular health in children remains unclear. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is supposed to be a potential risk factor associated with poorer outcomes after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery. The maximum vasoactive–inotropic use after cardiac surgery is considered to be a good predictor of adverse outcomes. We aimed to assess the correlation between preoperative VDD and the maximum vasoactive–inotropic score (VISmax) at 24 hours postoperatively. Nine hundred children with CHD were enrolled in this study, and preoperative total serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Related demographic and clinical characteristics were collected. A total of 490 boys (54.4%) and 410 girls (45.6%) with a mean age of one year (range: 6 months–3 years) were enrolled. The median 25(OH)D level was 24.0 ng/mL, with 32.6% of patients having VDD [25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL]. The univariate analysis indicated that VDD [odds ratio (OR): 2.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.48–3.50] is associated with a risk of increased VISmax at 24 hours postoperation. Multivariate analysis revealed that VDD (OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.09–3.02), a Risk-adjusted Congenital Heart Surgery score of at least three points (OR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.09–2.19), and cardiopulmonary bypass time (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02) were independently associated with an increased VISmax within 24 hours after cardiac surgery. VDD in pediatric patients before cardiac surgery is associated with the need for increased postoperative inotropic support at 24 hours postoperation.