Mortality in newborns referred to tertiary hospital: An introspection

BACKGROUND: India is one of the largest contributors in the pool of neonatal death in the world. However, there are inadequate data on newborns referred to tertiary care centers. The present study aimed to find out predictors of mortality among newborns delivered elsewhere and admitted in a tertiary hospital in New Delhi between February and September 2014. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital data for were retrieved and analyzed for determining predictors for mortality of the newborns. Time of admission, referral and presenting clinical features were considered. RESULTS: Out of 1496 newborns included in the study, there were 300 deaths. About 43% deaths took place in first 24 hours of life. Asphyxia and low birth weight were the main causes of death in early neonatal period, whereas sepsis had maximum contribution in deaths during late neonatal period. Severe hypothermia, severe respiratory distress, admission within first 24 hours of life, absence of health personnel during transport and referral from any hospital had significant correlation with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There is need for ensure thermoregulation, respiratory sufficiency and presence of health personnel during transport.