General Anesthesia-Related Neurotoxicity: Status of Pediatric Surgeries at an Academic Hospital in the North of Iran

Background: Recently, general anesthesia (GA)-related neurotoxicity has turned into a big concern. However, it seems that inadequate attention has been paid to the issue in Iran. Objectives: The aim of this survey was to investigate the frequency of elective surgeries in children under the age of three at an academic hospital in the north of Iran. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Alzahra Hospital affiliated to the Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS). The records of all children who had undergone surgeries during 2014 - 2017 were examined by a responsible physician. Then, the records of children under three receiving GA were sorted out. After that, questionnaires with items on gender, habitat, age of receiving GA, type and status (elective or urgency) of surgeries were filled out. Results: According to our results, 670 children underwent surgery under GA during the study period, while 50.4% were elective. The mean age of patients was 15.26 months; 9.9% of them were neonates, 42.4% were infants, 80.3% were boys, and 60.7% were from urban areas. The most affected children were urban boys and the most obviously avoidable surgery was circumcision. Conclusions: More attention should be paid to the issue of GA-related neurotoxicity at our hospital. Future studies are welcome to examine the issue and find practical interventions.