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

Abstract

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