Risk factors in the primary management of anorectal malformations in Northern India.

The purpose of this study was to determine the major factors influencing the survival of babies with anorectal malformation (ARM) during the primary management in the neonatal period in a tertiary referral center. The outcome of 125 neonates with ARM, treated in a single hospital during a 2-year period, was analyzed retrospectively with particular reference to birth weight, time of arrival, and the type of ARM, including pouch colon and major associated anomalies, to see whether any of them had a significant effect on initial survival. High ARM (HARM) was present in 75, low ARM (LARM) in 36, and pouch colon in 14 babies. There were a total of 28 deaths (22%). In babies with isolated HARM weighing >2.5 kg and brought to the hospital within the first 48 h of life, the survival was 100%, which dropped to 80% when brought later than 48 h. Of the babies with birth weight <2.5 kg and isolated HARM but who were brought to the hospital within the first 48 h of life, 80% survived, whereas of those reaching the hospital after 48 h, only 55% survived. Two babies with pouch colon and two of the four babies with LARM and associated anomalies died. In the HARM group, of the 31 babies with major associated anomalies, only 37% with birth weight <2.5 kg and 58% with birth weight >2.5 kg survived. Low birth weight, major associated anomalies, and delay in referral were the three important factors that influenced the outcomes of babies with ARM during the neonatal period.