Operating Within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Analysis From a Tertiary Care Center

Background Despite ongoing advances in the field of neonatology, the survival outcomes among critically ill preterm surgical neonates remain unfavorable. Intrahospital transport is one of the major risk factors associated with early mortality (within 30 days) in these newborns. To overcome this, the approach of performing bedside surgeries is being followed. We aim to assess the safety and feasibility of performing bedside neonatal surgeries by analyzing our archives. Methods The study focused on retrospective evaluation of all the newborns who have undergone surgical procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at our center from August 2015 through February 2021. Newborns were operated within the NICU if they had very low birth weight or other risk factors making their transport to the operation room risky. The outcomes of surgeries were assessed in terms of postoperative complications, one-month survival, and overall survival. Results Thirteen children (M:F=9:4) underwent twenty-two surgical procedures. The median (range) gestational age and birth weight of our cohort were 30 (26-36) weeks and 1200 (500-2860) grams, respectively. One-month and overall survival rates in our cohort were 84% (11/13) and 77% (10/13), respectively. No major postoperative complications were observed. The requirement of multiple inotropes and/or high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) was the only factor having a significant association with unfavorable survival outcomes. Conclusions Bedside surgery is a safe and feasible alternative to surgeries within the operation room for at-risk newborns. In the present study, the requirement of multiple inotropes and/or HFOV was the only factor significantly associated with early mortality.