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Neonates from high-risk pregnancies face significant challenges in NICUs, with respiratory distress syndrome being the leading cause of neonatal morbidity. Improved maternal care and targeted interventions could help reduce these risks.
A recent study published in “Cureus” unveiled key risk factors linked to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and neonatal morbidities, underscoring the importance of tailored interventions to improve outcomes for newborns.
Neonatal morbidity and mortality remain a pressing global health concern, especially for infants in NICUs. Hence, investigators sought to examine the occurrence of morbidities among babies born to high-risk females and assess the influence of several maternal risks on newborns admitted to NICU. In this prospective observational study, 1,000 high-risk newborns up to 28 days old were monitored in a tertiary care centre's NICU.
NICU admissions peaked at 34-36 weeks of gestation (41.20%), with a notable female predominance (55.20%). A significant number of NICU patients hailed from rural regions (59.40%) and lower socioeconomic status (76.40%). Neonatal morbidity was higher among children of less educated mothers (91.30%). After assessing NICU patients, the mortality rate was reported to be 17.20%. Mothers having a history of adverse obstetric outcomes were at escalated risk of poor neonatal outcomes (20.10%). Cesarean sections (c-section) were also frequently linked to NICU admissions (55.50%).
Key risk factors identified were pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, previous lower segment c-section, and fetal distress. Significant neonatal morbidities included respiratory distress syndrome due to prematurity in 45.9% of cases, intrauterine growth retardation in 11% of cases, meconium aspiration syndrome in 9.3% of cases, birth asphyxia, sepsis in 16.8% of cases, and congenital anomalies in 6.9% of cases. Respiratory distress syndrome emerged as the primary cause of neonatal morbidity.
Cureus
The Impact of Maternal Risk Factors on Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality in a Tertiary Care Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): An Observational Study
Shailesh Wandile et al.
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