Abstract

Clinico-Demographic Profile Of Term Newborns Admitted With Respiratory Distress At a tertiary hospital in India

Background: Respiratory Distress (RD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns. In the last 3 decades, several improvements have been introduced to reduce the incidence, severity, and mortality of neonatal RD. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the clinico-demographic profile of newborns with RD and also study the risk factor and co-morbidities associated with RD in term newborns. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 term newborns (37 weeks-42 weeks) with RD admitted to the Department of Pediatrics at Santosh Medical College during the period of one year from June 2018 to June 2019. Results: Male: Female ratio was 1.7:1. There were 65% term pregnancies and 35% late-term pregnancy admission. There were 10% of a newborn with severe RD and 35% had moderate RD. The period of gestation was found to have a significant difference with the severity of RD (p=0.024). Hospital stay was also found to have a significant difference with the severity of RD (p=0.001). The maternal risk factor which accounted most for RD in the newborn was meconium-stained liquor (25%) whereas the most common co-morbidity associated was sepsis (23%). Transient Tachypnea of Newborns (TTNB) was the most common cause of RD found in 47% of cases. Conclusions: Thorough clinical assessment and appropriate investigation is required for all infants presenting with signs of RD to ensure accurate diagnosis and correct treatment. Prompt recognition of the more serious underlying conditions is important to improve outcomes.

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