title: Major neonatal surgery under local anesthesia: a cohort study from Bangladesh.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgeons and anesthetists must respond to the perioperative mortality associated with general anesthesia in developing countries. The safety of performing major neonatal surgery under local anesthesia is one pragmatic response. This study describes and evaluates such practice in a tertiary pediatric surgery center in Bangladesh.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred and twenty neonates were admitted for major surgery during a 3.5-year study period. Hundred and fifty two neonates died pre-operatively, and 568 underwent major neonatal surgery. 352 (62.0%) neonates were operated under general anesthesia, while the 216 most fragile neonates (38.0%) were operated with local infiltrative anesthesia alone. Medical files were reviewed; data were collected prospectively; mortality risk factors were assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and sixteen procedures were performed under local anesthesia: sigmoid colostomies (37.5%), laparotomies with anastomosis (21.3%), anoplasties (18.1%), laparotomies with enterostomy (8.3%), closures of abdominal wall defects (6.9%), fixations of silastic bags (3.7%), peritoneal tube drainage (2.3%), and gastrostomies (1.9%). Median weight was 2,400 g (2,200-2,460), median gestational age was 37.0 weeks (36.0-38.0), and median age at surgery was 5.0 days (3.0-14.7). In-hospital postoperative mortality was 10.6% among those selected for local anesthesia, and 11.4% among neonates operated under general anesthesia. Low birth weight was an independent risk factor for mortality on multivariate analysis (OR 1.002 g(-1), 95% CI [1.000-1.004], p = 0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Local anesthesia is an established option for the most fragile neonates with major surgical disease. Safe anesthesia ought to be accessible to all children of the world. The global pandemic of perioperative mortality needs to be addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital, Lund, Sweden, lars.hagander@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hagander
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kabir
authors.forename: Md Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunnarsdóttir
authors.forename: Md G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banu
mesh_terms: D058107:Abdominal Wound Closure Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D057868:Anastomotic Leak / Q000209:etiology; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology