Highlights the critical need for trained anesthesiologists and basic monitoring equipment to reduce high neonatal perioperative mortality in resource-limited settings.
May justify investments in anesthesia training and monitoring in low-resource settings; leaves open efficacy without prospective interventional data.
Neonates are the most vulnerable age group in terms of anesthetic risk and perioperative mortality, especially in the developing world. Prematurity, malnutrition, delays in presentation, and sepsis contribute to this risk. Lack of healthcare workers, poorly maintained equipment, limited drug supplies, absence of postoperative intensive care, unreliable water supplies, or electricity are further contributory factors. Trained anesthesiologists with the skills required for pediatric and neonatal anesthesia as well as basic monitoring equipment such as pulse oximetry will go a long way to improve the unacceptably high anesthetic mortality.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Adrian Bösenberg (2013) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 4 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: