An analysis of neonatal mortality following gastro-intestinal and/or abdominal surgery in a tertiary hospital in South Africa

Retrospective 12-year study of 762 neonates undergoing gastrointestinal/abdominal surgery at a South African tertiary hospital found 11% 30-day mortality, primarily from sepsis (74%). Necrotizing enterocolitis had highest mortality (28%), with prematurity present in 69% of deaths.