Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality of Preterm Newborns at University Teaching Hospital of Butare Neonatology Department

Abstract

Introduction: Neonatal mortality in Rwanda is still high, especially among preterm infants, despite the improvements in mortality rate among other neonates attributed to the implemented measures and strategies since the mid-2000s in Rwanda. This study is aimed to determine predictors of mortality at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), Huye, Rwanda 

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 427 participants from July 2018 to June 2019. 

Results: Of all infants enrolled in this study, 51.1% of newborns were female. The mean birth weight, maternal age, and duration of labor were 1.58 ± 0.52 kg, 30.7 ± 6.8 years, and 3.16 ± 6.59 hours, respectively. Most participants had attended antenatal care services (ANC) (95.1%) and had no concerning obstetrical history (83.1%). The most common mode of delivery was spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) (51.5%) at the hospital (93.1%). 

Receiving Kangaroo mother care (KMC) was a protective factor in in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.63; 95CI: 0.028-0.140, p<0.001). Respiratory distress was associated with a 3-time high risk of mortality (OR: 3.132; 95CI: 1.26-7.745, p=0.013). 

Conclusion: This study showed that KMC and respiratory distress were the only studied factors associated with in-hospital mortality of preterm infants at the CHUB.