Outcome of LBW Babies Admitted in the N.I.C.U. – A Hospital based Study

Background&Objective: More than 20 million infants worldwide, representing 15.5 per cent of all births are born with low birth weight. More than 95 percent of them are born in developing countries. The incidence of low birth weight in developing countries (16.5 per cent) is more than double the incidence in developed regions (7 per cent). In India, nearly 8 million babies are born with a Low Birth Weight every year. In India, we are still struggling to get minimum care facilities for our neonates. The neonatal mortality rate in India is still 5 to 6 times higher compared to that in developed countries. Because of their susceptibility to complications, low birth weight neonates require specialized and expert care during the neonatal period. This study was undertaken to study the role of various morbidities in the mortality of LBW neonates admitted in the N.I.C.U.

Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the N.I.C.U. of a Tertiary Health Care Centre, in Department of Pediatrics. 106 neonates with birth weight less than 2500 grams from among the neonates admitted in the NICU were included in the study. Results: There were 48 deaths out of 106 cases studied thus making the mortality rate of 45.28% and the survival rate of 54.72% (58/106 cases). Respiratory distress contributed maximum to mortality, followed by Septicemia/Sepsis. Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia followed septicemia in prevalence. Among the spectrum of Respiratory distress, Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD) contributed maximum to mortality.