Prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in neonates in a tertiary care center: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Introduction: Perinatal asphyxia is one of the major factors contributing to perinatal and early neonatal mortality in developing nations. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of perinatal asphyxia among newborns admitted at Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital.
Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital. All newborns admitted at Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital were included from January 2022 to June 2022. A convenient sampling method was used. Recent version of Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was determined along with frequency and proportion.
Results: A total of 386 babies admitted over six months at NICU were enrolled in this study out of which 65 (16.83%) babies were asphyxiated at 95% Confidence Interval. Among 65 asphyxiated newborns, 47 (72%) were delivered in the hospital with remaining 18 (28%) were not. The prevalence of asphyxia in male newborn was 42 (64%) and female newborn was 23 (36%). HIE I was detected in 44 (68%), HIE II in 17 (26%) and HIE III in 3 (7%) of the 65 asphyxiated newborns. A case fatality rate of 3 (7%) was observed.
Conclusions: The prevalence of perinatal asphyxia was 16.83% which is quite similar to studies done in other tertiary care hospitals in Nepal. Perinatal asphyxia, or more accurately, Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), continues to be a major cause of significant mortality and long-term morbidity in newborns. Therefore, the current knowledge about obstetric and neonatal care should be intensified.