Postoperative morbidity and mortality in pediatric indigenous populations: a scoping review and meta-analysis

Mounting evidence suggests that childhood health is an important predictor of wellness as an adult. Indigenous peoples worldwide suffer worse health outcomes compared to settler populations. No study comprehensively evaluates surgical outcomes for Indigenous pediatric patients. This review evaluates inequities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children globally for postoperative complications, morbidities, and mortality. Nine databases were searched for relevant subject headings including “pediatric”, “Indigenous”, “postoperative”, “complications”, and related terms. Main outcomes included postoperative complications, mortality, reoperations, and hospital readmission. A random-effects model was used for statistical analysis. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used for quality assessment. Fourteen studies were included in this review, and 12 met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis, representing 4793 Indigenous and 83,592 non-Indigenous patients. Indigenous pediatric patients had a greater than twofold overall (OR 2.0.6, 95% CI 1.23–3.46) and 30-day postoperative mortality (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.23–4.05) than non-Indigenous populations. Surgical site infections (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.73–1.50), reoperations (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.51–1.11), and length of hospital stay (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI − 0.55–1.65) were similar between the two groups. There was a non-significant increase in hospital readmissions (OR 6.09, 95% CI 0.32–116.41, p = 0.23) and overall morbidity (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.91–1.40) for Indigenous children. Indigenous children worldwide experience increased postoperative mortality. It is necessary to collaborate with Indigenous communities to promote solutions for more equitable and culturally appropriate pediatric surgical care. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00383-023-05377-2.