Editorial – Making Visibility - Where is NAS?

Since its tender beginning with in 2020, the Covid-19-year, Neonatal Anesthesia Society (NAS) has been trying to establish itself by taking baby steps toward its ultimate goal – bringing awareness, spreading, and sharing knowledge about the most vulnerable beings in the world – the newborn baby and the neonates, and reduce their perioperative morbidity and mortality at par with the World Health Organization and world standards.

It is not that these patients have not been treated earlier or have not been operated earlier, or have not survived before, but it has been done in the routine, without much attention to the anatomical, physiological and developmental changes that they are undergoing and how the drugs and techniques may interfere with the maturing process and even may be damaging.

After the first attempt with the use of the new concept that had emerged and grew rapidly due to restrictions placed on mobility, movement, and socializing, the virtual platform (Online), in the form of CME’s (2020, 2021), NAS braved to conduct its first conference on the virtual platform in 2022, followed by the second one in 2023. With the success of these events, we had made a small place amongst the anesthesia family, and NAS members grew in numbers too. These enthusiasts stimulated NAS to conduct the conference in a physical form, as people wanted to meet each other following the restrictions imposed over the previous 3 years. Hesitant, but then observing that the government had also started to carry out many of its meetings in a physical form, we moved with the times and the 3^rd and 4^th annual conferences were held at New Delhi and AIIMS Nagpur. This also was also accompanied by the conduct of workshops on important aspects of neonatal anesthesia, to provide hands on training and direct interaction with the expert faculty, the uniqueness of these workshops being that instead of learner coming to us, we reached them – workshops were conducted all over the country at various institutes, in the course saving time and money of all participants.

The year of 2023 came with good news. NAS had been simultaneously working on another project, a book “Clinical Anesthesia for the Newborn and Neonate” first ever book with 50 chapters, contributed by experts in the field, and covering most aspects of neonatal anesthesia. The book is available in digital and in hard copy form and is easily available on Amazon.

I would also like to also share with the readers that NAS is finally getting to be recognized, and I am confident that it will survive through the challenges in its growing and maturing process.

First, it was an honor for NAS to be acknowledged by the parent society of anesthesia – Indian Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA). NAS was invited to conduct a master class on Neonatal Anesthesia, at the 72^nd Annual conference of ISA at Raipur. Hesitant at start, and wondering if there will be enough participants, we went ahead, and it was heartening to see that there were 42 registrations, a good number for such a super specialized subject. I am thankful to the President Dr. Balavenkat Subramanian, Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Editor in chief of IJA, Dr. Pratibha Jain Shah, Chairperson scientific Committee, and all other members of the organizing committee for providing us this platform and hope we are there to stay as participants.

The 90-minute Master class was conducted on 29th November 2025 by Dr. Usha Saha as Lead co-ordinator, Dr Pratibha Jain Shah, Dr Amrusha Raipure, Dr Thanigai Arasu, and Dr Sneha Dasharath Khobragade. The Learning Objectives included basics and uniqueness of newborns and neonates, importance of maintaining a patent airway with effective ventilation and gas exchange, perioperative fluid therapy, intraoperative monitoring, and Perioperative Neonatal Resuscitation (PoNR). Draeger and Tuoren participated by displaying their Neonatal Specific Equipment - Workstation, Videolarynoscope, Endotracheal tubes, IV cannulae, and Infusion sets [Figure 1].

Close

Figure 1:

Masterclass neonatal anesthesia 72^nd ISACON Raipur.

Export to PPT

Second, it was an honor to invite and to deliver a guest talk at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, on a very important topic in neonates – Fluid Management. I am grateful to Dr. Nazia Tauheed and Dr. Nida Nawaz for taking the initiative and Dr. Hammad Usmani, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Anesthesiology, for permitting it, and the entire department, Chairperson Pediatric Surgery, Dr. Uzma Firdaus, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Pediatrics, for attending and for their hospitality [Figures 2 and 3].

Close

Figure 2:

Guest talk Dr. Usha Saha 23^rd December 2025.

Export to PPT

Close

Figure 3:

AMU faculty list December 2025. AMU: Aligarh Muslim University.

Export to PPT

This issue also carries a Guest Editorial by Dr. Swapna Thampi titled “Recent Advances in Neonatal Cardiac Anesthesia: A New Era of Innovation,” Dr. Swapna Thampi is an Anesthesiologist at National University Hospital, Singapore.

Hoping for many more laurels, NAS wishes all a very happy, educative, and prosperous new year 2026.