A cohort study on structural analysis of congenital anomalies in an intensive care unit in Azerbaijan

Congenital anomalies pose significant challenges in medicine due to their high morbidity and mortality rates. These anomalies are more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, where variations exist in intensive care admissions and treatment protocols for critical cases. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of congenital anomalies among patients under the age of one admitted to the level III intensive care unit. The study focused on diagnosing anomalies, reasons for intensive care admission, structural analysis, classification based on system involvement, surgical requirements, duration of intensive care stay, and treatment outcomes. A total of 8276 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of our Pediatric Research Institute between 2019 and 2022. Among them, 1256 patients (15.2%) were diagnosed with congenital anomalies. The majority of infants (73.3%) were admitted within the neonatal period, whereas 21.2% were admitted from 29 days to 6 months and 5.5% between 6 months and 1 year of age. Ultimately, 1084 (86.3%) patients survived, and 172 (13.7%) patients died. Structural analysis of congenital anomalies in a tertiary intensive care unit in Azerbaijan indicated comparable frequencies of anomalies, surgical requirements, and mortality rates to those published in articles from developed countries. Additionally, differences in anomaly distribution among organ systems were observed, with congenital heart defects being more prevalent.