Article Sidebar
Published:
Apr 20, 2016Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Massive pulmonary haemorrhage as a cause of death in the neonate - a retrospective review
Abstract
Design. A retrospective study reviewing 32 neonates who died of pulmonary haemorrhage. Data were extracted from the 2001 King Edward VIII Hospital (KEH) neonatal death records. Relevant obstetric and neonatal variables were used in the data analysis.
Setting. KEH, a tertiary care institute, provides secondary and tertiary services and functions as a referral centre for surrounding clinics and hospitals.
Results. Pulmonary haemorrhage occurred in 32 of 260 neonatal fatalities (12.3%). All cases of pulmonary haemorrhage fell into the low-birth-weight category ( < 2 500 g), and 26 of the infants (81.25%) died during the
early neonatal period. A gestational age of 28 - 32 weeks was recorded in 27 cases (87%) and 19 (60%) showed adequate growth for gestational age. Three infants had pulmonary haemorrhage as a primary cause of death. In the remaining 29, pulmonary haemorrhage was secondary to a variety of causes. Obstetric information revealed that 29 mothers (93.5%) experienced obstetric complications, viz. preeclampsia/ eclampsia syndrome 21 (64.5%), abruptio placentae 5 (16.1 %) and previous pregnancy losses 9 (29%). Seven babies were ventilated and 2 were diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus.
Conclusion. The study revealed more well-grown babies than expected. Complications of pregnancy hypertension, abruptio placentae and previous pregnancy losses were more frequently associated with pulmonary haemorrhage in these neonates. The majority of babies suffering pulmonary haemorrhage were not associated with intensive care management.
