Prevalence and Outcome of Preterm Admissions: A Retrospective Study at the Tertiary Care Center in Rural Nepal

• Published in: Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences Vol. 4; no. 3
• Main Authors: Sandeep Shrestha, Namrata Sindan, Nirajana Kayastha, Kamal Prasad Thani, Khushbu Jha, Nirmala Pahadi, Annie Shrestha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 01.02.2022
• Subjects: preterm, prevalence, mortality, outcome
• ISSN: 2616-0064; 2676-1327

Background: Preterm births is one of the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. It causes long-term medical and financial burdens for affected children, their families, and the health care system of country. The objective of the study was to identify prevalence and outcome of preterm admissions attending a tertiary care centre in rural Nepal, Jumla. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on 52 preterm births admitted  at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS), Jumla from Magh 2076 to Poush 2077. This study was carried out from March 2021 to July 2021 for 5 months.   Results: Preterm admissions constituted 19.4% of all admissions i.e 52 out of 268 cases  at the NICU of KAHS. The mean birth weight and mean gestational age were 1730 ± 378 grams and 33.3 ± 2.13 weeks. Sepsis (34.62 %)  was the most common cause for hospital admission followed by perinatal asphyxia (15.39%) and neonatal jaundice (13.47%). The most common risk factor of preterm delivery was PROM (28.8%) followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (15.3%) and teenage pregancy (11.5%) in our study. Mortality was observed in 10 (19.2% ) cases.    Conclusion: : Prematurity is still one of the  main cause for admissions in intensive care unit. Identification of at risk pregnancy, early detection and treatment of medical diseases, improving pregnant womens' health care quality  may decrease the rate of  preterm birth.