Serious complications, death after neonatal circumcision higher than believed, study finds

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2022-01-15T09:00:15+05:30 | Updated On 15 Jan 2022 11:02 AM IST

Canada: Neonatal circumcision (NNC) is the most commonly performed surgery worldwide and is generally considered safe. Deaths related to NNC are seldomly reported and are mostly due to a lack of adherence to medical standards. Now, results from a recent study in the journal European Urology Focus indicate that the risk of death and serious complications from NNC is greater than generally assumed.

Male circumcision involves surgical removal of some, or all, of the foreskin (or prepuce) from the penis. In the US, the procedure is commonly performed during the newborn period.

For the study, Annette Schröder, Department of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, and the team reviewed their emergency department database for circumcision-related emergency admissions.

Based on the analysis, the researchers found the following:

During 2000–2013, 19 previously healthy neonates were admitted for acute complications after circumcision.
Four were admitted for bleeding, with hemophilia identified in two cases and von Willebrand disease in one.
Eight boys required emergency surgery, three for severe bleeding.
Four boys with amputation of the glans underwent immediate surgical reconstruction.
One infant was taken to the operating room to remove an obstructing Plastibell ring.
Seven boys were admitted to the intensive care unit with severe bleeding or sepsis, three of whom ultimately progressed to hemorrhagic or septic shock.
Two of these children died of their complications.

The researchers estimate that the annual incidence of severe complications requiring hospitalization after NNC in the Greater Toronto Area was approximately 0.01%, and the incidence of fatalities over the 14-yr review period was approximately 0.0012%.

"Our results indicate that the risk of serious complications and death as a result of NNC is greater than generally assumed," they concluded.

Reference:

The study titled, "Serious and Fatal Complications after Neonatal Circumcision," was published in the journal European Urology Focus on 29 December 2021.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euf.2021.12.005

European Urology Focusneonatal circumcision

Source : European Urology Focus

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751