Epidemiological Profile of Neonates Admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Tertiary Care Referral Center of Nepal: A Four Years Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The most vulnerable time for child’s survival is the neonatal period with the highest risk of dying at an average global rate of 17 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. Sepsis, prematurity and perinatal asphyxia are the common causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study was aimed to assess the morbidities of newborns admitted in tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit of Nepal and their outcome.
Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was carried out for 4 years (2076 Shrawan – 2080 Asar) in NICU of Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan. All patients admitted in NICU within study period were included in the study. Data were entered onto a spreadsheet and then analyzed using SPSS version 16.
Results: The total number of neonates admitted in NICU in last four years (Shrawan 2076 to Asar 2080) was 2810 with male: female ratio being 1.5:1. Sepsis (64.9%) was the commonest diagnosis in NICU admitted babies, followed by neonatal jaundice (26.1%), prematurity (26.0%) and PND (22.2%) respectively. Total discharged neonates after successful management were 2433 (86.5%) while 96 (3.4%) neonates expired. Forty eight (1.8%) neonates were referred to other center and 233 (8.3%) left the hospital against medical advice (LAMA). Among neonates with birth weight less than 2500 gm, 66(6%) expired and 149(13.5%) went on LAMA.
Conclusions: Sepsis, neonatal jaundice and birth asphyxia were the common diagnosis in NICU admitted babies. Similarly, preterm/low birth weight babies had higher mortality and major portion of them leave against medical advice.
Keywords: neonate; NICU admission; sepsis.