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Perinatal Risk Factors in Birth Asphyxia: Relationship of Obstetric and Neonatal Complications to Neonatal Mortality in 16,365 Consecutive Live Births
Author(s) -
Mir Nisar A.,
Faquih A. M.,
Legnain M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
asia‐oceania journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 0389-2328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1989.tb00200.x
Subject(s) - asphyxia , medicine , obstetrics , neonatal mortality , neonatal death , pediatrics , infant mortality , pregnancy , fetus , population , environmental health , biology , genetics
Over a period of one year, 16,365 consecutively live born neonates were prospectively studied for evidence of birth asphyxia using the requirement of greater than one minute of positive pressure ventilation for identifying infants suffering from birth asphyxia. Asphyxia occurred in 2.8% of all neonates. Multivariate analysis of high risk factors associated with increased risk of asphyxia showed that low birth weight was the most significant predictor of asphyxia: asphyxia occurred in 68% of infants of <1,000 g birth weight and decreased to 1.2% in infants of 3–4 kg birth weight. Perinatal risk factors associated with a higher incidence of asphyxia include: postmaturity, birth weight (2.5 kg) and with the presence of maternal and/or obstetric complications. The impact of asphyxia on neonatal mortality was most pronounced in more mature infants and the mortality was increased 3 fold in infants of <34 week gestation and greater than 27 fold for infants >38 week gestation. Of the asphyxiated neonates, intrauterine growth retardation, fetal macrosomia, hypothermia, hyaline membrane disease, seizures, hypoglycemia and hyponatremia were significantly associated with an increased risk of death.