Omphalitis in the newborn infant

Neonatal Omphalitis in Iraq

“…This finding agrees with Guvenc [8] who found that the umbilical catheterization has no significant association with Omphalitis in Eastern Turkey. This finding also disagrees with the finding of Davies [17] who reported that the risk factors for neonatal Omphalitis were included low birth weight, home delivery and prior umbilical catheterization, this may be due to that the report was presented at 1972 which was enough time to developed the country in aseptic delivery techniques, hygienic cord care and prompt antimicrobial therapy [6,10].…”

“…However, the condition remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world [7]. There are only a few recent studies on neonatal Omphalitis from developing countries [7][8][9], and scarce reports from the developed world [10,11]. Although, reliable estimates of the incidence of Omphalitis are not available [7,10,11].…”

Umbilical Cord Care in the Newborn Infant

“…4,5 In countries with limited resources, the risk of omphalitis may be 6 times greater for infants delivered at home than for hospital births. 6 Multiple studies have delineated the susceptibility of the umbilical cord to bacterial colonization.…”

“…11 Staphylococcus aureus remains the most frequently reported organism. [5][6][7]12 Other common pathogens include group A and group B Streptococci and Gram-negative bacilli including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, and Pseudomonas species. Rarely, anaerobic and polymicrobial infections also may occur.…”

“…4 The development of necrotizing fasciitis, with predictable complications from septic shock, is associated with much higher case-mortality rates. 5 These disparate observations in different settings have resulted in divergent recommendations for cord care by the World Health Organization (WHO), which advocates dry cord care for infants born in a hospital or in settings of low neonatal mortality and application of chlorhexidine solution or gel for infants born at home or in settings of high neonatal mortality. 20 …”