Outcome of LBW Babies Admitted in the N.I.C.U. - A Hospital based Study

Abstract

Background & Objective: More than 20 million infants worldwide, representing 15.5 per cent of all births are born with low birth weight. More than 95 percent of them are born in developing countries. The incidence of low birth weight in developing countries (16.5 per cent) is more than double the incidence in developed regions (7 per cent). In India, nearly 8 million babies are born with a Low Birth Weight every year. In India, we are still struggling to get minimum care facilities for our neonates. The neonatal mortality rate in India is still 5 to 6 times higher compared to that in developed countries. Because of their susceptibility to complications, low birth weight neonates require specialized and expert care during the neonatal period. This study was undertaken to study the role of various morbidities in the mortality of LBW neonates admitted in the N.I.C.U. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the N.I.C.U. of a Tertiary Health Care Centre, in Department of Pediatrics. 106 neonates with birth weight less than 2500 grams from among the neonates admitted in the NICU were included in the study. Results: There were 48 deaths out of 106 cases studied thus making the mortality rate of 45.28% and the survival rate of 54.72% (58/106 cases). Respiratory distress contributed maximum to mortality, followed by Septicemia/Sepsis. Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia followed septicemia in prevalence. Among the spectrum of Respiratory distress, Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD) contributed maximum to mortality.

Treatment Outcome and Associated Factors of Neonatal Sepsis at Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South West Ethiopia: A Prospective Observational Study

“…12 In the current study, the mortality rate was lower than an observational study conducted at Nashik Hospital in India which showed a mortality rate of 45.28% and a survival rate of 54.72%. 22 It was also lower than a prospective cohort study which was done in Switzerland with blood culture-proven sepsis between September 2011 and December 2015 which showed that mortality was 30% of these, 18% for EOS and 12% for LOS. 14 The possible explanation might be due to the larger sample size (444) used in the previous study (Switzerland) and maybe diagnosis or selection bias in the present study whereas culture-confirmed in Switzerland and due to dense population in a previous study (India).…”