Outcomes following neonatal patent ductus arteriosus ligation done by pediatric surgeons: A retrospective cohort analysis Katherine Hutchings b , Andrea Vasquez c , David Price b , Brian H. Cameron a , Saeed Awan c , Grant G. Miller c, ⁎ a Department of Surgery, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8N 3Z5 b Department of Surgery, Janeway Children's Hospital, St. John's Newfoundland, NL, Canada, A1B 3V6 c Department of Surgery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, SK, Canada, S7N 0W8 Received 20 January 2013; accepted 3 February 2013 Key words: Patent ductus arteriosus; PDA; Ligation; Premature infant; Extreme low birth weight Abstract Purpose: Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) ligation in premature infants is an urgent procedure performed by some but not all pediatric surgeons. Proficiency in PDA ligation is not a requirement of Canadian pediatric surgery training. Our purpose was to determine the outcomes of neonatal PDA ligation done by pediatric surgeons. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of premature infants who underwent PDA ligation by pediatric surgeons in 3 Canadian centers from 2005 to 2009. Outcomes were compared to published controls. Results: The review identified 98 patients with a mean corrected GA and weight at repair of 29 weeks and 1122 g, respectively. There were no intraoperative deaths. The 30-day and inhospital mortality rates were 1% and 5%. Mortality and morbidity were comparable to the published outcomes. Conclusions: This study documents that a significant number of preterm infant PDA ligations are safely done by pediatric surgeons. To meet the Canadian needs for this service by pediatric surgeons, proficiency in PDA ligation should be considered important in pediatric surgery training programs. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. A persistent patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common problem in premature infants. It can lead to clinically significant cardiorespiratory disease and ligation remains an important component of its management. In Canada, both Pediatric and Cardiac Surgeons do PDA ligation. However, because competency in PDA ligation is not an absolute requirement of Canadian pediatric surgery training programs the training and experience of graduates are variable [1]. PDA ligation is done at 19 of 27 Canadian neonatal intensive care units (NICU) [2]. At 6 (30%) of these centers PDA ligation is done by pediatric surgeons. Only 1 of these 6 centers has a pediatric surgery training program. There are 7 additional Canadian pediatric surgery training programs where cardiac surgeons routinely do PDA ligation. ⁎ Corresponding author. Department of Surgery, University of Sas- katchewan, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 0W8. Tel.: +1 306 966 8141; fax: +1 306 966 7542. E-mail address: grant.miller@usask.ca (G.G. Miller). www.elsevier.com/locate/jpedsurg 0022-3468/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2013.02.003 Journal of Pediatric Surgery (2013) 48, 915–918