Keerthi B. J1, Jahnavi Rajagopal2, Thammanna P. S3, Prasanna Kumar M. S4
ABSTRACT: Need for the Study: Mortality among Very low birth weight infant (VLBW < 1500g) is a major contributor to the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) in both developing and developed countries. Clinical problems associated with VLBW include hypothermia, hypoglycaemia, perinatal asphyxia, hyperbilurubinemia, anaemia, sepsis and respiratory problems like RDS, apnoea of prematurity. The survival of these VLBW infants in a resource-limited setting in developing country like India is low. OBJECTIVE: To describe the mortality and morbidity pattern among VLBW babies. METHODOLOGY: This study was undertaken at District Hospital NICU, attached to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS). All VLBW babies admitted at MIMS over a span of 3 years from 1st January 2011 till 31st December 2013 formed the study population. Necessary permission was taken to access the medical records from NICU and Medical Record Section, MIMS. The relevant data was collected from the case records, analysed with Microsoft Excel software, and the results were interpreted using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of the 4, 653 new born admissions during the study period 492 (10%) were VLBW within which 332(67%) new-born survived to discharge. Among the 160 VLBW deaths, 77(48%) succumbed to death within 1 day of life and another 71(44%) between day 2 to day 7 of life. RDS accounted for 33% of all deaths while Sepsis was the second common cause accounting for 23% deaths. The most commonly encountered morbidities in study population were Sepsis (70%), Hyperbilirubinemia (62%), RDS (58%), ROP (32%) and Hypoglycaemia (30%). CONCLUSION: With an overall survival of 67% among non-ventilated VLBW babies, it is reassuring for a developing nation, where expensive modalities like mechanical ventilation and Surfactant may not be available for the needy round the clock. KEYWORDS: Very low birth weight, Survivors, Mortality, Morbidity.
