Neonatal deaths in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka: a clinical audit

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics, timing and causes of neonatal deaths in a tertiary can centre in Sri Lanka. DESIGN, SETTING AND METHODS: A clinical audit was conducted on all neonatal deaths occurred at specia care baby unit of the university pediatric unit of North Colombo Teaching Hospital from January 2006 tc June 2007. Data were extracted from hospital records using a data collection form. RESULTS: Fifty-nine neonatal deaths were audited. All baies were born in hospitals and there were no home deliveries. Thirty (51%) were males and 42% were first borns. Sixty-six percent were delivered preterm while 13% were delivered even before 28 weeks. Mean birth weight was 1.81(SD=0.87) kg. Twenty-eight (47%) were delivered following an uncomplicated antenatal period while 9(15%) mothers had pre-labour rupture of membranes, 8( 14%) had pregnancy induced hypertension and 6( 10%) had antepartum haemorrhages. 54% were delivered vaginally and 41% were delivered by emergency caesarian section. Forty-five (76%) needed resuscitation at birth. Eight (14%) newborns did not survive more than an hour and 16 more (27%) died within the first 24-hours; 44(75%) died within one week. Twenty-six (44%) died of complications of prematurity of which half had surfactant deficient lung disease. Other causes of death were sepsis (20%), congenital abnormalities (14%), meconium aspiration syndrome (12%) and birth asphyxia (10%). Pathological postmortems were done on 17(29%). CONCLUSIONS: Three-quarters of deaths were early neonatal deaths and over 40% occurred within the first 24 hours. Nearly half died of complications of prematurity and asphyxia accounted only for 10% of deaths.