A Prospective Observational Study of Short Term Morbidity Pattern in Preterm Newborns Delivered in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To study the short term morbidity pattern in preterm new born babies delivered in a tertiary care hospital with level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). MATERIAL at Grant medical college and JJ Group of hospitals, Mumbai. All the in born preterm babies were assessed for morbidity pattern from the time of admission till discharge or death. RESULT: 156 preterm babies were included in the study. 83(54.21%) were male and 73(46.79%) were female. The major morbidities observed in the preterm neonates were hyperbilirubinemia in 50.54%, Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in25.64% and severe birth asphyxia in13.46%. Other common morbidities seen were retinopathy of prematurity in 12.17%, apnoea in 11.54% and anaemia in 10.9%. Preterm neonates also had in 9.62% culture proven sepsis, in 8.33% hypoglycaemia, in 7.05% Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and in 6.41% various congenital anomalies. CONCLUSION: Hyperbilirubinemia, respiratory distress syndrome and severe birth asphyxia are major preterm morbidity.