title: Comparison of surgical outcomes among infants in neonatal intensive care units treated by pediatric surgeons versus general surgeons: The need for pediatric surgery specialists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study compared the outcomes of infants who underwent surgery in neonatal intensive care units by pediatric surgeons and by general surgeons.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study of infants who underwent surgery in neonatal intensive care units between 2010 and 2014. A total of 227 patients were included. Of these patients, 116 were operated on by pediatric surgeons (PS) and 111 were operated on by general surgeons (GS). The outcome measures were the overall rate of operative complications, unplanned reoperation, mortality rate, length of stay, operative time, and number of total number of operative procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall operative complication rate was higher in the GS group compared with the PS group (18.7% vs. 7.0%, p=0.0091). The rate of unplanned reoperations was also higher in the GS group (10.8% vs. 3.5%, p=0.0331). The median operation time (90min vs. 75min, p=0.0474) and median length of stay (24days vs. 18days, p=0.0075) were significantly longer in the GS group. The adjusted odd ratios of postoperative complications for GS were 2.9 times higher than that of PS (OR 2.90, p=0.0352).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The operative quality and patient outcomes of the PS group were superior to those of the GS group.
  
  
  METHODS
  III.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: drboo@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Yoon Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Boo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007902:Length of Stay; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D061646:Operative Time; D000072143:Pediatricians; D010372:Pediatrics; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012086:Reoperation; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013043:Specialties, Surgical; D066231:Surgeons; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: General surgery; Infant; Pediatric surgery; Surgical specialties; Treatment outcomes