The Related Factors to Neonatal Mortality in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran: A Case-Control Study

Infant is a vulnerable creature whose death is affected by embryonic period and also by factors during and after delivery. The first step in reducing neonatal mortality is to identify the causes. The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of neonatal mortality in Ghaem hospital, Mashhad, Iran.

The present study was a case-control study in which the case group included 448 deceased infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ghaem hospital during the years 2012-2017, and the control group included 448 infants admitted to the same ward during the same period and after treatment. The data were completed by a trained researcher through the study of neonatal records. All analyzes were performed with SPSS software at a significance level of less than 0.050.

Among the neonates admitted to NICU, 53.7% were boys and 46.3% were girls with a mean age of 16.80 ± 6.06 days. Logistic regression model showed that the first minute Apgar score of less than 6 [Odds ratio (OR = 2.91)], asphyxia (OR = 2.64), sepsis (OR = 2.41), and respiratory distress syndrome (OR = 8.13) increased the chance of neonatal death. The variable of age of the baby reduced the chance of the baby dying. The variables of neonatal sex and type of delivery did not show a significant relationship.

According to the results of this study, asphyxia, sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, low Apgar score, and low birth weight were the most common causes of neonatal death.