Title: Morbidity and Mortality Profile of Newborns Admitted to the Special Care Newborn Unit (SCNU) of A Teaching Hospital of Upper Assam, India – A Three Year Study
Authors: Manab Narayan Baruah, Pankaj Pradeep Panyang
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v4i8.01
Background: Neonatal mortality is the predominant cause of high infant and under five mortality rates. There is lack of data regarding the morbidity and mortality pattern of sick newborns admitted to special care neonatal units of Assam, especially studies done over an extended period of three years. Aim: To study the morbidity and mortality profile of newborns admitted to the Special Care Newborn Unit of Jorhat Medical College & Hospital. Study design: Retrospective study for a period of three years(1ST January 2013-31st December 2015. Material and Methods: All sick newborns admitted to the SCNU during the study period were included in the study. Newborns admitted in the pediatric ward or PICU were excluded. The age, sex, birth weight, gestational age, morbidity, mortality data were collected from the standard monthly reporting format and patient case records. Results: During the study period, a total of 8069 babies were admitted in the SCNU of which 6104(75.6%) were admitted in the inborn unit while 1965(24.4%) were admitted in the outborn unit. 58.4% of babies were males and 42% were low birth weight (<2,500gm).Neonatal sepsis, jaundice and birth asphyxia were the common morbidities seen in the study. Sepsis was more common in the outborn compared to inborn (40% vs 24%). 87% of inborn and 72.6% outborn was successfully discharged from the SCNU. The mortality data shows much higher deaths in the outborn (13.6%) compared to inborn unit (6.6%). 77.5% of deaths were early neonatal deaths (1st week of life). 66.1% of the death cases were low birth weight. Sepsis (42.6%), birth asphyxia (29.3%) and prematurity related complications (17.5%) were the common causes of death. The case fatality rate of all causes of mortality were higher in the outborn versus inborn. Conclusion: The burden of neonatal mortality is largely preventable. Strengthening of facility based care along with improved health care delivery at the peripheral level is essential to decrease neonatal mortality and ensure intact survival of sick newborns. Key words: neonatal, morbidity, mortality, SCNU, inborn, outborn.
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