TITLE:
Incidence and Associated Factors of Birth Asphyxia in Neonates Admitted at St. Patrick’s Hospital, a District Hospital in Ghana
AUTHORS:
Felicia Etema Duopah Okyere
KEYWORDS:
Incidence, Birth Asphyxia, Neonates, St. Patrick’s Hospital
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
17,
2024
ABSTRACT: Research Background: Birth asphyxia is a significant contributor to the overall neonatal mortality in Ghana and across the world, as it accounts for 900,000 deaths each year globally and 28% of the neonatal deaths in Ghana. Research Objectives: To determine the incidence of birth asphyxia, the maternal and neonatal associated factors, the outcome of birth asphyxia and duration of hospital stay of asphyxiated babies at St. Patrick’s Hospital, Offinso, Ghana. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, prospective study was conducted in the neonatal unit of St. Patrick’s Hospital, Offinso from June 10 to October 15, 2019. A signed or thumb-printed informed consent was obtained from mothers of babies with Apgar score of 1 - 6 in the 5th minute and enrolled in the study. The maternal and neonatal factors of birth asphyxia were assessed using their folders as well as one-on-one interviews with the mothers to answer a structured questionnaire. The data was entered into a database using Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis was done after data cleaning. Results: There were 1557 deliveries during the study period, with 52 cases of birth asphyxia. Out of this, 44 were inborn at St. Patrick’s Hospital, Offinso, giving an incidence of 2.82% (28.2 per 1000 live births). The commonest maternal factor was pre-eclampsia, 5 (41.67%) and neonatal factors were cephalic presentation, 48 (92.32%), spontaneous vaginal delivery, 30 (57.69%), meconium-stained liquor, 30 (57.59%) and male sex (63.46%). The outcome of admission was 84.62% discharge and 15.38% deaths. Most babies had no early neurological outcome, 51 (97.62%) with only one baby having early neurological outcome of no cry at time of discharge. The average duration of stay at the hospital was 5.5 days. Conclusion: The incidence of birth asphyxia is still high. Early detection and management of maternal and neonatal-associated factors could lead to a reduction or prevention of birth asphyxia and reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity.