Asian Journal of Research in Infectious Diseases

Introduction: Respiratory distress in newborns is a common reason for admission to neonatology. The objective of our study was to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of neonatal respiratory distress at the Pikine National Hospital Center.

Methodology: This was a single-center, retrospective, and descriptive study conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2022. All newborns hospitalized for respiratory distress were included. Incomplete records were excluded. Data collection was done via a pre-established survey form and analysis with the software IBM SPSS.

Results: Among the 794 newborns hospitalized, 215 were hospitalized for respiratory distress, an incidence of 27.1%. The average age of the newborns was 0.48 days, the sex ratio was 1.34. Preeclampsia and premature rupture of membranes were found in 33.7% and 29.6%, respectively. Among our newborns, 53% were born prematurely and 59% presented respiratory distress in the delivery room. Almost all (92%) were hospitalized within the first 48 hours of life. Respiratory distress was severe with a mean Silverman score of 4.6 out of 10. The main etiologies found were neonatal infection (57.7%), hyaline membrane disease (12.1%), and perinatal asphyxia (9.8%). In terms of treatment, 93.4% of newborns were receiving oxygen and 94.9% received antibiotic therapy. The case fatality rate was 32%. The mean age at death was 6 days old and neonatal infection was the cause of death in 51.5% of cases.

Conclusion: Neonatal respiratory distress is common and is associated with high mortality in our settings. Regular monitoring from pregnancy to delivery by qualified personnel, availability of resuscitation equipment and upgrading of the technical platform are necessary to reduce mortality related to neonatal respiratory distress.