Frequency of Birth Asphyxia among Full-Term Infants in the Neonatal Care Unit at Tikrit Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Birth asphyxia is the most important preventable cause of cerebral injury in the neonatal period, leading to very high neonatal mortality and morbidity in developing countries.

Aim of study:  The aim of the current study is to assess the frequency of neonates with birth asphyxia admitted to the neonatal care unit at Tikrit Teaching Hospital. 

Patients and methods: This observational cross-sectional study involved the study of 320 newborn infants (165 males and 155 females) done in the period between the first of May 2021 to the end of July 2021. Total of 2240 live birth infants were born in Tikrit Teaching Hospital, 320 births were attended by a convenient sampling and 54 newborn infants had Apgar scores < 7 at five minutes and with no obvious congenital abnormalities were diagnosed to have asphyxia.

Results: The frequency of birth asphyxia was (16.9%), various stages of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy occurred in 21/54 infants (38.9%) of asphyxiated infants, and the incidence was higher in the low Apgar score group. There was a statistically significant relationship between birth asphyxia, and birth weight, mode of delivery, parity of mothers, antenatal care, and other maternal risk factors as pregnancy-induced hypertension, Oligohydramnios, and breech presentation. There were 12/54 infants (22.2%) mortality during the hospital stay, correlated with the severity of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Conclusion: It is concluded that some causes of birth asphyxia are currently unavoidable. It is, however, widely accepted that some cases of birth asphyxia may be prevented by the delivery of high-risk pregnancies in obstetric facilities with appropriate intervention and by good neonatal resuscitation.