Influence of Route and Location of Delivery on Neurodevelopmental Sequelae among Infants who Suffered Birth Asphyxia

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the influence of route and location of delivery on Neurodevelepmental Sequelae (NDS) among infants who suffered birth asphyxia.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from January 2018 to May 2019. A total of 271 infants diagnosed with birth asphyxia with a gestational age between 38 and 42 weeks were included. NDS was assessed using a structured datasheet. A 3 × 2 contingency table was employed to compare the prevalence between route, location of delivery, and weight. Spearman’s rho correlation and binary logistic regression were used to establish the relationship between the NDS and predictor variables.

Results: The result indicated that route (14.4%) and location (14.4%) of delivery have accounted much for the point prevalence of NDS than weight (7.5%). In addition, route, location of delivery, and weight were also positively related to NDS (P < 0.05). The significant predictors explained about 67.4% of the variability in the NDS (Nagelkerke R Square = 0.674). Further, those who have had cesarean section have fewer odds of developing NDS (0.035, 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.239, 0.309) and those who had less weight have much odds of developing NDS (0.811, 95% CI, 0.791, 0.831).

Conclusion: Route and location of delivery influenced asphyxiated infants to develop NDS. However, cesarean section and hospital delivery confer much more protection against NDS.

Keywords: Birth asphyxia, cesarean section, home delivery, hospital delivery, neurodevelopmental sequelae, vaginal delivery