Mortality in the Special Care Baby Unit of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt - Why and do newborn die

Abstract

Background: The Milenium Development Goal 4 is the reduction of the under five morbidity by two-thirds by the year 2015. However, this goals the difficult to achieve if survival of one of the group in under-5 catergvory (under 5)) is not sufficiently addressed. Objectives: To determine the major causes of death in the Special Cared Baby Unit ( SCBU) of the University of Port Harcourt of Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, and document the most vulnerable age at which the death occur. Method: A retrospective review of the admission records of neonates admitted into the SCDU from April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2008 were undertaken. The information extracted include gender, gestatiional age at delivery, place of birth, primary disgnosis, the age and disgnose at death. Results: A total of 5507 baby were adimitted and 1309 (23.8 percent) died within the six years period, Nine Hundred and Eighty-eight (75.5 percent) were early neonatal death 298 ( 22.7 percent) were late neonatal deaths, 23 (1.8 percent) were post neonatal death. Overall, the main causes of mortality were death asphyxia (35.5 percent) infections ( 31.9 percent) prematurity in 160 (12.2 percent) and congenital abnormalities in 21 (1.8 percent). Beyond 24 hours and up to 7 days of life, the commonest causes of death was severe infections in 230 (17.6 percent) birth asphyxiam 122 (9.3 percent) and prematurity in 76 ( 5.8 percent). Seven Hundred and five (53.9 percent) of those that died were delivered outside the hospital. Conclusion: Birth asphyxia, severe infections, prematurity, and lethal congenital abnormalities were the commonest causes of death in the neonatal period. Most of the death occurred in the early neonatal period and in babies delivered outside the hospital.

Keywords

• mortality
• newborn
• special care baby unit