No abstract

No abstract

Introduction: Sepsis remains a major cause of death in neonatal period. Although significant advances in diagnosis, therapeutic and prevention strategies have been noted, sepsis remains a common concern in clinical practice especially in low-resource countries. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of mortality in neonatal sepsis in Lubumbashi city (Democratic Republic of Congo). Methods: The records of newborns with sepsis managed in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in two University Hospitals between November 2019 and October 2020 were studied. Binary and multiple logistic regressions have been used to observe the association between independent variables and dependent variable. Results: A total of 162 cases of neonatal sepsis were reviewed. The mortality rate of neonatal sepsis was 21% of babies admitted. Very low birth weight (< 1500 grams) and primiparity were significantly associated with mortality in neonatal sepsis (AOR = 12.66; 95% CI 2.40 to 66.86; p = 0.003 and AOR = 3.35; 95% Cl 1.31 to 8.59; p = 0.012, respectively). Conclusion: The mortality rate of neonatal sepsis was 21%. Very low birth weight and primiparity were significantly associated with mortality in neonatal sepsis.

The authors report a urinary lithiasis in an infant of 22 months old after being treated unsuccessfully for urinary infections in several hospitals. This observation corroborates with literature about the scarcity of cases of urolithiasis in infant and it shows also the difficulty in diagnosing this desease in poor background in lack of specialists, and equipments.

Introduction: Placenta Praevia (PP) is frequently associated with severe maternal bleeding leading to an increased risk for adverse outcome of mother and infant. This study aims to determine the prevalence, and to evaluate potential risk factors and respective outcomes of pregnancies with PP in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from patients diagnosed with PP at 4 hospitals in Lubumbashi between January 2013 and December 2016. All women who gave birth to singleton infants were studied. Differences between women with PP and without PP were evaluated. Adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals for risk factors, and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with PP were estimated in multivariable logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of PP was 1.49% (227/15,292). The following risk factors were independently associated with PP: multiparity ≥6 (aOR=2.36; 95% CI: 1.13-4.91), previous cesarean section (aOR=6.74; 95% CI: 2.99-15.18), and no antenatal care visit during pregnancy (aOR=7.15; 95% CI: 4.86-10.53). PP was significantly associated with adverse maternal outcomes such as delivery by cesarean section (aOR=3.09; 95% CI: 1.89- 5.06), maternal anemia (aOR=11.43; 95% CI: 6.20-21.06); and hospital stay of >4 days (aOR=2.02; 95% CI: 1.24-3.29). PP was also significantly associated with adverse perinatal outcomes such as Apgar scores of <7 at the 5th minute after birth (aOR=4.39; 95% CI: 2.62-7.36), low birth weight (aOR=4.10; 95% CI: 2.26-7.44), stillbirth (aOR=4.16; 95% CI: 1.39–12.46), and early neonatal death (aOR=5.72; 95% CI: 1.60–20.42). Conclusion: PP is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes, and multiple independent risk factors were identified. Therefore, detection and careful surveillance of these risk factors are important to ultimately improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.