Survival status and predictors of mortality among asphyxiated neonates admitted to the NICU of Dessie comprehensive specialized hospital, Amhara region, Northeast Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Birth asphyxia is one of the leading causes of early neonatal mortality, which causes an estimated 900,000 deaths annually. Therefore, assessing the survival status and predictors of mortality among asphyxiated neonates will be highly helpful to policymakers in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs to achieve the sustainable development goal of reducing neonatal mortality as low as 12/1,000 live births by 2030. METHODS: A facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 378 asphyxiated neonates admitted to the NICU of Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from January, 2017 –December, 2019. The data were collected from eligible records by using a structured data extraction tool from March 30 –April 21, 2020. The data were cleaned manually and entered into Epi-data version 7.1.2.0, and STATA version 16 was used for the analysis. Bivariate and Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were performed, and significant predictors were identified using 95% confidence interval and p-value <0.05. RESULT: A total of 378 neonates were followed for 2298 neonatal days, ranging from 1 to 28 days. The mortality incidence rate was 5.3/100 person-days-of observation (95% CI: 4.41, 6.29), and 32% (95% CI: 27.6%, 36.8%) of the study subjects died. Admission weight (AHR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.72), seizure (AHR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.27), neonates who received resuscitation (AHR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.80), and stage of asphyxia (moderate (AHR: 3.50; 95% CI: 1.55, 8.36), and severe (AHR: 11.55; 95% CI: 4.73, 28.25)) were significant predictors of neonatal mortality among asphyxiated neonates. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of neonatal mortality among asphyxiated neonates in the study area was high. Admission weight, seizure, resuscitation, and stage of asphyxia were significant predictors of mortality among neonates with asphyxia. Therefore, special attention should be given to asphyxiated neonates with low admission weight and those who had seizure. Additionally, the timing, quality, and effectiveness of resuscitation might need further assessment and evaluation.