Background: Low birth weight neonates are subjected to different comorbidities due to anatomical and physiological immaturity. Globally, 60-80% of neonatal mortality was due to low birth weight. Hence, this study aimed to assess the survival status and predictors of mortality among low birth weight neonates. Methods: An institutional-based retrospective cohort study design was conducted among 718 low birth weight neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 1, 2017, to December 30, 2019, at Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed with STATA version 14. Kaplan-Meier curves together with a Log rank test were used to estimate the survival time and showed the presence of differences among groups. Cox proportional-hazard regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio at the 5% level of significance to determine the net effect of each explanatory variable on survival status. Results: The overall incidence density was 35.3 per 1000 person-day observations (CI: 30.8 −40.6) with 5715 follow-up days. Deliveries outside the health institution [AHR; 2.31 (95% CI: 1.20-4.42)], maternal age <18 years [AHR; 3.08 (95% CI: 1.64-5.81)] and maternal age >35 years [AHR; 3.83 (95% CI: 2.00-7.31)], neonatal sepsis [AHR; 2.33 (95% CI: 1.38-3.94)], neonatal respiratory distress syndrome [AHR; 1.92 (95% CI: 1.27-2.89)], necrotizing enterocolitis [AHR; 3.09 (95% CI: 1.69-5.64)] and birth weight <1000 gm [AHR; 3.61 (95% CI: 1.73-7.55)] were found to be significant predictors. Conclusion:This study showed that two of the seven low birth weight neonates died during the follow-up period. Therefore, it is better for health care providers and other stakeholders to focus more on early diagnosis and management of low birth weight neonates with sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis and counseling mothers on the risk of having a child in early and old age.

Background: In spite of recent advances in health care, neonatal sepsis is still one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in neonates and is an ongoing major global public health challenge. Its incidence of mortality varies from health institution to health institution and within the same health institution at varied times and depends on predisposing factors. So the aim of this study was to determine the time to death and its predictors among neonates admitted with neonatal sepsis. Methods: An institutional based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 500 randomly selected neonatal charts. The data was entered using Epi data version 3.1, and exported to and analyzed at STATA version 14. Bivariable and multivariable cox regression analysis were conducted to identify predictors of mortality. Association was summarized using adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) and statistical significances were declared at 95% CI and P-value <0.05. Proportionality assumption was tested by global test based on Schoenfeld residuals analysis. Results: During the follow up time, 58 (11.6%) neonates were died with neonatal sepsis while the rest were censored. In this study the overall death incidence rate was 20.5 per 1000 neonate days. Comorbidity (AHR: 1.81, 95%, CI: 1.04, 3.17), late initiation of exclusive breast feeding over one hour (AHR: 2.29, 95%CI: 1.13,4.63), history of intra-partum fever(AHR: 7.37 95%CI: 2.28,23.79), Birth weight (AHR: 3.37, 95%CI: 1.54, 7.34) and place of delivery(AHR: 3.83, 95%, CI: 1.24, 11.83) were found potential independent predictors of mortality among neonates with neonatal sepsis.Conclusion: In this study, high death incidence rate was observed. The mean time to death among neonates was 4.41 days. With regard to predictors: birth weight, comorbidity, late initiation of exclusive breast feeding over one hour, history of intra partum fever and place of delivery were significant predictors of mortality among neonates admitted with neonatal sepsis.