Rural Health: What can and cannot be done in an isolated rural neurosurgical unit

The aim of the study is to ascertain which neurosurgical procedures can be safely and effectively performed in an isolated rural neurosurgical unit, despite the lack of advanced technological infrastructure available in tertiary neurosurgical departments in high-income countries.

The authors draw upon their experience of establishing a first-line neurosurgical unit in a remote Pacific archipelago, which was accomplished without significant technological investments. All the patients operated in the neurosurgical unit of the Territorial Hospital of Nouméa, New Caledonia, from December 1, 2023, to February 1, 2025, were included. The primary outcome measure was a composite endpoint, including the mortality within three months post-surgery, reoperation within three months post-surgery, secondary transfer due to postoperative complications.

134 patients underwent 155 procedures. Among them, 129 patients underwent cranial surgery while 5 patients underwent spinal cord surgery. Among the 155 procedures, 107 (69.0%) were emergency surgeries, 48 (31.0%), were planned surgeries. The most frequent indications for emergency surgery were traumatic brain injuries (TBI) (47/107-43.9%), CSF disorders (24/107-22.4%), and spontaneous cranial infections (13/107-12.1%). Among the planned surgeries, 31 were tumor resection (31/48-64.5 %) while 12 were heterologous cranioplasties (12/48-25.0%). The postoperative course was favorable for 93.8% of planned surgeries. Among the 107 emergency surgeries, 14 (14/107-13.1%) required reoperation (4 postoperative infections, 2 postoperative hematomas, 1 postoperative intracranial hypertension, 2 recurrences of chronic subdural hematomas and 5 wound infections).

Our experience confirmed that the majority of neurosurgical cases can be safely manage on site without all the technological tools even if the possibility to transfer high complexity cases in a center equipped with advanced surgical devices still plays a fundamental role. In isolated regions where transfer to a tertiary center within four hours is impossible, the presence of such a unit is not only safe but essential to improve the quality of healthcare services. Having a resident neurosurgeon in a rural unit can also be beneficial in reducing the need for secondary transfers due to the possibility to manage on-site post operative complication.