Neonatal Surgery During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The impact of Covid-19 on global health and especially on the low-resource countries’ health system has been serious. The lack of personal protective equipment, masks, sanitizers, and lack of testing has made the surgical delivery even more challenging. These delays in management of these surgical cases are going to stack up in the future and increase mortality and morbidity. However, the emergent nature of some of the neonatal surgical cases cannot be postponed. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study done from April 2020 to September 2020 in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Surgical neonates were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by using the real-time PCR on oropharyngeal swabs. The reports of the tests were received only 24 h later. Results: A total of 22 neonates with surgical conditions were admitted during the study period. Eighteen were tested for Covid-19, whereas 4 were tested but reports were not awaited for surgery. All the babies tested negative for Covid-19. There were a variety of cases admitted, predominately hydronephrosis, clubfoot, meningocele, intestinal obstruction, cleft lip, and palate. Among the 22 surgical neonates, 6 received the surgical management, whereas 16 were managed conservatively and kept on follow-up. Regarding the outcome, 17 patients (3 managed surgically and 14 nonemergent cases were managed conservatively) were discharged to home. Mortality were 5 in number (3 postoperative patient and 2 while managing conservatively). Conclusion: During the unprecedented times of Covid-19, extreme precaution and protocol must be followed to carry on neonatal surgeries to protect both health workers and children.