Does the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program pediatric provide actionable quality improvement data for surgical neonates?

Background/PurposeThe purpose of this project was to examine the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric (ACSNSQIP-P) Participant Use File (PUF) to compare risk-adjusted outcomes of neonates versus other pediatric surgical patients.MethodsIn the ACS-NSQIP-P 2012–2013 PUF, patients were classified as preterm neonate, term neonate, or nonneonate at the time of surgery. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and composite morbidity. Patient characteristics significantly associated with the primary outcomes were used to build a multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe overall 30-day mortality rate for preterm neonates, term neonate, and nonneonates was 4.9%, 2.0%, 0.1%, respectively (p < 0.0001). The overall 30-day morbidity rate for preterm neonates, term neonates, and nonneonates was 27.0%, 17.4%, 6.4%, respectively (p < 0.0001). After adjustment for preoperative and operative risk factors, both preterm (adjusted odds ratio, 95% CI: 2.0, 1.4–3.0) and term neonates (aOR, 95% CI: 1.9, 1.2–3.1) had a significantly increased odds of 30-day mortality compared to nonneonates.ConclusionSurgical neonates are a cohort who are particularity susceptible to postoperative morbidity and mortality after adjusting for preoperative and operative risk factors. Collaborative efforts focusing on surgical neonates are needed to understand the unique characteristics of this cohort and identify the areas where the morbidity and mortality can be improved.