Contribution of Very Low Birth Weight to Preterm Neonatal Mortality at 37 Military Hospital, Accra

Abstract

Background: Babies delivered before term (ie. 37 completed weeks) are known as preterm birth. Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality globally with associated long term disability. However, there are factors that affect the survival rate in premature babies; these include the use of corticosteroids during antenatal, the weight of babies at birth, the sex, gestational age and plurality. This study seeks to assess the association of preterm characteristics such as birth weight, mode of delivery, gestational age and mortality among preterm babies admitted at the 37 Military Hospital. Methods: the study design used in this research is a retrospective descriptive design where all available records of preterm babies admitted to the NICU of the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, from January 2014 to December 2015 were used for the study. Variables were coded into SPSS (V 22.0) software to be analysed. Chi-square test was employed to find out how preterm characteristics such as birth weight, gestational age, mode of delivery relates to mortality among preterm. Results: Preterm babies less than 1.5kg had significantly higher chance of dying compared to those who weighed 1.5kg or more (p<0.001). Majority (85.5%) of the preterm babies less than 1.5kg died. Gestational age (p<0.001) and mode of delivery (p<0.05) of preterm babies had significant effect on mortality of preterm babies. Very preterm or extremely preterm babies had significantly higher probability of dying (p<0.001) compared to late preterm babies. Conclusion: There is therefore the need for concerted efforts to channel resources to improve upon neonatal health as well as maternal health in the country. Ghana Health Service in collaboration with stakeholders should intensify health campaigns on the need for all pregnant women to access antenatal health services for proper and skilled care throughout the period of pregnancy until delivery.