During a 2-year period, eight cases of a distinct illness were seen among 1,424 neonates admitted to a newly established neonatal care unit in southern Haiti. The newborns presented with a picture of sepsis with shock, vomiting, hypotonia, lethargy, and abdominal distention. Five cases proved fatal and another case left the hospital against advice in extremis with little chance of survival. In each case, the illness was associated with a history of ingestion of teas that included castor oil, known as lok in Haitian Creole. The presumptive cause of the illness was established by the presence of a dark, oily substance in drainage from the nares and nasogastric tubes and by subsequent admission on direct questioning of the caregivers, who said that the infants had been given large amounts of lok. The castor oil tea had been given to three infants in the immediate neonatal period where its use is attributed to encouraging the passage of meconium. The five remaining infants were between 15 and 30 days of life when they were given lok shortly before admission to the neonatal unit for treatment of an undefined illness. All of them were term infants with no identified risks at birth. As nasogastric tubes are not routinely placed in sick neonates, and the parents did not volunteer information about lok administration, the practice may be more widespread than that recorded here. Although our data are confined to observations in Haiti, the use of traditional medicines is a globally widespread phenomenon. Attention must be drawn to the potential toxicity of such preparations and means found to ban their use in neonates.

Background The rate of facility births in Haiti has doubled over the past two decades, but without comparable reductions in maternal or neonatal mortality. To care for newborns requiring hospitalization in Haiti, we worked with the public health leadership in the Haitian department of the South (Sud) to establish a ward for compromised neonates in a large public hospital with over 3000 annual deliveries but no neonatal care capacity. Methods Significant investments were made in establishing basic neonatal services, training nurses, installing and managing a supply chain, and strengthening infrastructure. We present outcomes for 1399 neonates admitted to the ward during the first two years of operation. Results Two-thirds of admissions were made from the hospital’s maternity ward after birth, while the remaining babies were born at home or at referring facilities. Inborn neonates had better rates of hospital survival than those born elsewhere; they were also more likely to be born via cesarean section and to be admitted immediately following birth. Babies born elsewhere were more likely to die during their hospital stay. There were no differences between the proportion of premature or low-birth-weight babies born at the hospital or elsewhere. Nursing care proved to be a critical part of the care delivery system. Conclusions To support maternal and newborn care, we conclude that integrated, high-frequency nursing training is necessary for both maternity and neonatal nurses. Resources are needed to address prematurity as an important outcome, especially as it is indicative of poor prenatal care, regardless of place of birth.

BackgroundThe rate of facility births in Haiti has doubled in the past two decades but this has not resulted in comparable reductions in maternal or neonatal mortality. To care for newborns requiring hospitalization in Haiti, we worked with the public health leadership in the Haitian department of the South (Sud) to establish a ward for compromised neonates in a large public hospital with over 3000 annual deliveries but no neonatal care capacity. MethodsSignificant investments were made in establishing basic neonatal services, train nurses, install and manage a supply chain, and strengthen infrastructure. We present outcomes for 1399 neonates admitted to the ward during the first two years of operation. ResultsTwo-thirds of admissions were made from the hospital’s maternity ward at birth while the remaining babies were born at home or referring facilities. Inborn neonates had better rates of hospital survival than those born elsewhere. They were also more likely to be born via cesarean section and to be admitted right at birth. Babies born elsewhere were more likely to die during their hospital stay. There were no differences between the proportion of premature or low Conclusionsbirth weight babies born at the hospital or elsewhere. Nursing care proved to be a critical part of the care delivery system. We conclude that integrated, high frequency nursing training is necessary for both maternity and neonatal nurses to support maternal and newborn care. Resources are needed to address prematurity as an important outcome, especially as it is indicative of poor prenatal care, regardless of place of birth.

Background Haiti has the highest rate of neonatal mortality in the Latin America and Caribbean region. While the rate of facility births in Haiti has doubled over the past two decades, there have been no comparable reductions in maternal or neonatal mortality. Little data is available on the clinical characteristics of complications and morbidities among newborns requiring hospitalization after birth and their contribution to neonatal mortality. There is a need to better understand the status of newborn clinical care capacity in Haiti to prioritize training and resources. Methods We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of neonates admitted to a large public referral hospital in southern Haiti in the first 2 years of operation of a new neonatal unit that we established. All neonate cases hospitalized in the unit in these 2 years were reviewed and analyzed to identify their clinical characteristics and outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors of hospital mortality. We present the outcomes for 1399 neonates admitted to the unit during August 2017 and August 2019. Results The leading cause of death was prematurity, followed by hypoxia and infection. Inborn neonates had better rates of hospital survival than those born elsewhere; they were also more likely to be born via cesarean section and to be admitted immediately following birth. There were no differences between the proportion of premature or low-birth-weight babies born at the hospital or elsewhere. Mortality in the second year of the unit’s operation was 12%, almost half that of the first year (21%). Multivariable regression analysis showed that mortality was consistently higher among premature and very low birthweight babies. Conclusions With modest investments, we were able to halve the mortality on a neonatal unit in Haiti. Resources are needed to address prematurity as an important outcome since hospital mortality was significant in this group. To this end, investment in uninterrupted supplies of oxygen and antibiotics, as well as ensuring adequate newborn resuscitation, infection control, laboratory testing, and timely morbidity and mortality reviews would go a long way toward lowering hospital mortality in Haiti.