Clinical Profile of Neonates with Respiratory Distress in a Tertiary Care Hospital

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory distress in newborns is a very common reason for admission in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which may be transient or pathological; morbidity is high if not prompted for early diagnosis and treatment. The present study is undertaken to find out the clinical profile of neonates with respiratory distress in infants in a tertiary care hospital in western Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital in the western region of Nepal from April 2017 to March 2018 after approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Convenience sampling was done. Data were collected from the study population after taking consent and entered in a predesigned proforma. Data was then entered in a Statistical Package for Social Sciences for further calculations. RESULTS: Tachypnea was the most common presentation 77 (69.36%). Out of 1694 live deliveries during the study period, the prevalence of respiratory distress was 6.55% in the total live deliveries while 30.83% in admitted cases in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Survival rate was 95.50% while mortality rate accounted for 4.50%. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal asphyxia accounted for the commonest cause of respiratory distress. To lessen the morbidity and mortality of the neonates with respiratory distress it is advocated that we practice proper and timely neonatal resuscitation, recognize the risk factors as early as possible so that perinatal asphyxia can be minimized.