Predictors of mortality among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit in pediatric Assiut University Hospital, Egypt

Neonatal period is the most hazardous period of life because of various problems/ diseases which a neonate faces. There is great over lap between the risks associated with morbidity and mortality in the perinatal and neonatal periods. The present study aimed to identify the profile and risk factors for neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in pediatric Assiut University Hospital (AUH). A prospective study was conducted in NICU of pediatric AUH. Study population included all neonates admitted to NICU over a period of one year. The data collected included detailed antenatal and natal histories, details of clinical examination, primary diagnosis, progress during the hospital stay and outcome. The outcome measure was inhospital death. Survival was defined as the discharge of a live infant from the NICU. Differences between deceased and survived neonates were estimated by the chi-square test and t-test. The association between risk factors and neonatal mortality were estimated by relative risk. The significance level used was p-value of less than 0.05. A total of 990 neonates were included in the study, of which 582 neonates (58.8%) died during their hospital stay. The mortality rate decreased with the increase in birth weight, as well as gestational age. Respiratory distress was the commonest primary diagnosis (94.5%) among all admitted neonates, followed by very low birth weight (VLBW) (36.7%), congenital malformations (8.2%), and infections (4.4%). Significant risk factors (P<0.05) associated with neonatal mortality were: vaginal delivery, multiple births, low Apgar score at 5 minutes, neonatal respiratory distress, prematurity, and low birth weight (LBW). It is concluded that majority of the causes of neonatal mortality are preventable. Surveillance programs for neonatal death should include preventive actions and interventions for the perinatal period. Focused initiatives for quality improvement may also be necessary. [Eman M. Mohamed, Asmaa M. A. Soliman, Osama M. El-Asheer. Predictors of mortality among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit in pediatric Assiut University Hospital, Egypt. Journal of American Science 2011; 7(6):606-611]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org.