ABSTRACT
The past 40 years have seen major advances in the management
of critically ill surgical newborns. Advances in surgical and
anesthetic management have led to corrective surgery being
performed on complex lesions both prenatally and in low birth
weight infants, placing a demand for higher levels of care in the
postoperative period. While the surgery itself may be only of a
relatively short duration, success or failure will inevitably
depend on the level and skill of the postoperative care. During
this period we have seen the introduction of innovative
treatments for critically ill newborns, particularly in the
management of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure including
surfactant replacement therapy, extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO), and alternate ventilation which have
resulted in improved survival of both term and preterm infants.
