Respiratory distress in Full and Post term neonates: Prevalence, Etiologies and Outcomes in a Tertiary Health Center in Yaoundé

Abstract

Introduction Respiratory distress (RD) is a common condition for admission of newborns in neonatal care unit (NCU), in both preterm and full-term neonates. Our objective was to describe the clinical features, causes and treatment of RD in full term neonates in a tertiary health center in Yaoundé, the Essos Hospital Centre (EHC). Patients and Method We conducted a cross sectional retrospective study. Full term neonates with RD at EHC from January 2017 to December 2018 were included, assuming clinical signs of RD prior to 48 hours following admission. Factors evaluated: incidence of RD, main etiologies, short term outcomes and risk factors for severity. Data were collected using a chart, then analyzed using software Stata Version 13.Results 186 full term neonates out of 2312 newborn babies admitted in NCU, met the inclusion criteria giving a prevalence rate of RD of 8%. Sex ratio of 2.15 was favoring males; median age at admission was 7.25 hours and 89.2 % were born at a median gestational age of 38 weeks. Clinical signs of RD were dominated by signs of respiratory control with a Silverman score above 4/10 in 64%. The most common etiologies were neonatal infection / pneumonia (45.9%), followed by transient tachypnea. Clinical management was performed using nasal cannula oxygen and antibiotics. Perinatal asphyxia, cyanosis and caesarian section were found to be associated with severe RD in this setting. Mortality rate was 10.4%.Conclusion RD in full term neonates is common in this setting, with neonatal infection as preeminent etiology; the mortality rate is high and the management still inappropriate.

Mortality rate, Time to mortality and its predictors among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit with respiratory distress syndrome at Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study

“…This nding is in line with study conducted at West Oromia Referral Hospitals 37.44% (30). However, this study nding was higher as compared to the study conducted in Cameroon 24.4% (6) and conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 10.4% (29). The reasons for this discrepancy might be due to the sociodemographic variation of the study population, the sample size, study period, standards of service provision and level of institution, patient-to-nurse ratio of the institutions in which studies were conducted, and the attention given by the government and non-governmental organizations to improve health care services regarding neonatal RDS.…”

“…Antibiotics may be given to infants to control infections and Supportive therapy for infants is carried out by using a radiant warmer to keep infants warm (27,28). Neonatal mortality rate with respiratory distress syndrome is high 24.5% in Cameron (6), 10.4% in Yaoundé, Cameroon (29), 37.44% in west Oromia referral hospitals (30). Moreover, the signi cant predictors are prematurity, male gender, over birth weight, an Apgar score < 7 at the 1st minute, and early neonatal period, perinatal asphyxia, cyanosis, and delivered by caesarian section, hypertension and Diabetes mellitus, PROM, meconium aspiration (6, 9,27,30) Ethiopia ranks among the top ve countries with the highest number of neonatal deaths when RDS is the major contributor (31).…”

Incidence, time to recovery and predictors among neonates admitted with respiratory distress to the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021

“…Respiratory distress (RD) in neonates is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and a common condition requiring admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Adverse Neonatal Outcome are More Common among Babies Born by Cesarean Section than Naturally Born Babies at Public Hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia: A Comparative Prospective Follow-Up Study at Eastern Ethiopia

“…17,18 Nearly 10 to 15% of neonates are born through meconium-stained liquor, of which 3 to 9% develop meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). 19 MAS predisposes neonates to severe asphyxia, severe respiratory distress, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is also a cause of death.…”