Predictors of perinatal outcome in full term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Abstract EN

Background : Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) means failure to establish effective spontaneous breathing after complete delivery & leads to many changes if not diagnosed or treated immediately as mental retardation, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Objective : to study the demographic and clinical predictors of perinatal outcome in full term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

Methods : Forty two neonates were diagnosed as cases of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy by specialist pediatricians & admitted in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital & Al Kut Hospital in the period from January 2008 to March 2009.

Predictors studied were sex, birth weight, Apgar scores at 1,5,15 min., meconium aspiration, lethargy, muscle tone , convulsion.

Outcome was also recorded.

Statistical analysis was done by the use of fisher exact test.

Results : The total number studied were forty two neonate.

Half of them were born at home & others in hospital with a male / female ratio = 1 / 1.

Thirty three newborns had normal birth weight & nine had low birth weight.

the mean apgar score recorded for sixteen neonate born in hospital at 1 minute = 4.3 ± 1.922, at 5minute = 6.06 ± 2.08 and at 15 minute = 6.62 ± 2.33.

out of the 21 hospital born babies with HIE, 6 died and 15 improved and out of 21 home born babies with HIE 4 died and 17 improved.

The difference was not statistically significant.

P.

value.0.7.

Conclusion : Full term newborn babies with HIE died more frequently if they were males, with low birth weight, with Apgar scores of`< 4 at 1 min., 4-7 at 5 and 15 min., meconium aspiration, convulsion, hypotonic.

Hypertonia and lethargy were noticed to be associated significantly with perinatal mortality in newborns with HIE.