Abstract

NEONATAL DEATH: EXPLOTARY STUDY IN THE NEONATAL CARE UNIT OF ALKARKH MATERNITY HOSPITAL/ALKARKH/ BAGHDAD OVER YEAR 2015

Ahmed Abdulhasan Ali*

Abstract

Background: Globally, 2.6 million children died in the first month of life in 2016 – approximately 7,000 newborn deaths every day – most of which occurred in the first week. In Iraq, the neonatal mortality rate is 18 per 1000 livebirths in 2016. Objective: This study aimed to explorate the death rates and major causes of neonatal death in the neonatal care unit (NCU) of Alkarkh maternity hospital /Alkarkh /Baghdad over the year 2015. Patients & Methods: A descriptive study of 152 neonatal deaths in the neonatal care unit (NCU) from 1st of January 2015 to 31st of December 2015 in the neonatal care unit (NCU) of Alkarkh maternity hospital /Alkarkh /Baghdad was carried out, and the causes of death as in the neonatal NCU medical records were studied. Results: Neonatal death rate in relation to admission was (15.2%). The Neonatal death rates for gender were, males were 102 deaths (67.1%) out of 152 & females were 50 (32.9%) with male to female ratio was 2.04:1. The preterm were (76.32%), and the term were (23.68%) and (59.2%) were low birth weight (< 2.5 kg). The main causes of neonatal deaths, respiratory distress syndrome (42.1%), congenital anomalies were the second(17.8%), septicemia & birth asphyxia (3.3%)for each, meconium aspiration (1.3%) and other causes of death (32.2%). Conclusion: The main causes of neonatal death were respiratory distress syndrome, congenital anomalies, septicemia, birth asphyxia and meconium aspiration.

Keywords: Neonatal Deaths, Neonatal Care Unit, Neonatal mortality, respiratory distress syndrome.