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Clinical Medicine Insights. Pediatrics 2023Ethiopia ranked fourth in the world in terms of neonatal mortality rates, with birth asphyxia accounting for the majority of neonatal deaths.
BACKGROUND
Ethiopia ranked fourth in the world in terms of neonatal mortality rates, with birth asphyxia accounting for the majority of neonatal deaths.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of birth asphyxia and associated factors among newborns delivered in government hospitals of the Eastern Amhara region, Northeastern Ethiopia, 2022.
METHODS
A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 4 government hospitals between March 10, 2022, and May 8, 2022. The subjects in the study were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Face-to-face interviews and chart reviews were used to collect the data. The association was discovered through multivariate logistic regression analysis.
RESULT
In this study, the prevalence of birth asphyxia was 13.1% (48) of the total 367 newborns. Mothers who could not read and write (AOR = 9.717; 95% CI = 3.06, 10.857); infants born with low birth weight (AOR = 2.360; 95% CI = 1.004, 5.547); primipara mothers (AOR = 5.138; 95% CI = 1.060, 26.412); mothers with less than 37 weeks of gestation (AOR = 4.261; 95% CI = 1.232, 14.746); and caesarian section delivery (AOR = 2.444; 95% CI = 1.099, 5.432) were predictors of birth asphyxia.
CONCLUSION
The magnitude of birth asphyxia has managed to remain a health concern in the study setting. As a result, special attention should be paid to uneducated and primi-mothers during antenatal care visits, and prematurity and caesarian section delivery complication reduction efforts should be bolstered to prevent birth asphyxia and its complications.
PubMed: 37719038
DOI: 10.1177/11795565231196764 -
The Journal of Maternal-fetal &... Dec 2023Cord arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA) results are used as diagnostic criteria for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns with suspected perinatal asphyxia. This... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
INTRODUCTION
Cord arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA) results are used as diagnostic criteria for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns with suspected perinatal asphyxia. This study evaluated the effect of cord ABGA lactate level on the long-term neurodevelopment of newborns without any clinical signs of perinatal asphyxia.
METHODS
This clinical observation study was designed among term babies born between 2018 and 2019 in our unit. Cases with a 5-min Apgar score <7 and signs of fetal distress in their antenatal follow-up were excluded. The cases ( = 1438) were divided into two groups those with high cord lactate levels (above 5 mmol/L, = 92) and those with low lactate levels (below 2 mmol/L, = 255). An Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3) developmental screening questionnaire was sent to all parents. Patients with a chronological age between 24 and 42 months and for whom the parents fulfilled the questionnaire (low lactate group, = 29, and high lactate group, = 45) were evaluated.
RESULTS
No difference was observed between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics such as age ( = .1669), male gender ( = .906), mother's working situation ( = .948), mother's education level ( = .828), father's education level ( = .507), and family's total income ( = .642). Mean ACQ-3 developmental screening test scores were significantly lower in the high lactate group compared to the low lactate group concerning; fine motor (40 vs. 60, = .001), problem-solving (50 vs. 60, = .002), and personal social development (45 vs. 60, = .003). No difference was observed in terms of communication and gross motor total scores.
DISCUSSION
In general practice, routine cord ABGA is not generally recommended for patients with normal Apgar scores and no suspected hypoxia. However, in this study, we observed that cases with a normal 5-min Apgar score, no suspected perinatal asphyxia, and a cord lactate value of ≥5 fell behind their peers when evaluated with the ACQ-3 developmental screening questionnaire.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Pregnancy; Apgar Score; Asphyxia; Asphyxia Neonatorum; Fetal Blood; Fetal Distress; Hypoxia; Lactic Acid
PubMed: 37989542
DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2284115 -
Maedica Mar 2024Burned corpses are of medicolegal importance as circumstances may suggest means that are used for committing or concealing homicidal death or death occurring due to...
Burned corpses are of medicolegal importance as circumstances may suggest means that are used for committing or concealing homicidal death or death occurring due to accidental causes. Postmortem burns, which may include homicidal burns (torch murder) or burns used to conceal the crime, are committed with the motive of identity destruction, transposing the cause and manner of death and destruction of evidence. The present study aimed to analyse the cases of postmortem burns in the context of the cause of death, manner of death and circumstances pertaining to death. This is a retrospective study performed in the Government Medical College δ Hospital, Aurangabad (MH), India, between 1 January 2009 - 31 December 2016. Cases involving burn injuries were examined in detail by autopsy reports, toxicological analyses, crime scene investigation and police records submitted at the Institute's office. A careful examination of vitality signs of burns, soot deposition in the lower respiratory tract and the presence of other fatal injuries was performed for each case. Cases exposed to fire before death were all excluded. Similarly, bodies being charred to such an extent to prevent distinguishing the vitality of burns were also excluded. Postmortem burns were recorded in 13 cases (0.46%) of deceased bodies to cover homicides. Females were reported to be more commonly involved and more in a household environment. Head injury was the most common cause of death, followed by death due to asphyxia due to any means. The findings of the present study reinforce the fact that burning cannot always effectively destroy the evidence, hindering the perpetrator from covering up the crime. Apart from the evidence at autopsy, a transdisciplinary approach must be initiated with detailed crime scene investigation, toxicology, ascertaining the cause of death with analyses of fatal injuries and contributory data for identification of the deceased.
PubMed: 38736924
DOI: 10.26574/maedica.2024.19.11.80 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Nov 2023Intrapartum asphyxia, fetal hypoxia, and their consequences (e.g., acidosis, hypercapnia, hypoglycemia, and hypothermia) are the main factors related to physio-metabolic...
Caffeine Administration in Piglets with Low Birthweight and Low Vitality Scores, and Its Effect on Physiological Blood Profile, Acid-Base Balance, Gas Exchange, and Infrared Thermal Response.
Intrapartum asphyxia, fetal hypoxia, and their consequences (e.g., acidosis, hypercapnia, hypoglycemia, and hypothermia) are the main factors related to physio-metabolic imbalances that increase neonatal mortality in piglets, particularly in piglets with low birthweight and low vitality scores. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different doses of caffeine (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg) administered orally to 480 newborn piglets with low birthweight and low vitality scores. Blood gas parameters (pH, pO, pCO, and HCO), physio-metabolic profile (Ca, glucose, and lactate), and the thermal response assessed through infrared thermography in four thermal windows (ocular, auricular, snout, and hindlimb) and rectal temperature were evaluated during the first 24 h of life. Doses of 30 mg/kg resulted in significant differences at 24 h for all evaluated parameters, suggesting that caffeine administration improved the cardiorespiratory function and metabolic activity of piglets by reducing acidosis, restoring glycemia, and increasing surface and rectal temperature. In conclusion, caffeine at 30 mg/kg could be suggested as an appropriate dose to use in piglets with low birthweight and low vitality scores. Future research might need to study the presentation of adverse effects due to higher caffeine concentrations.
PubMed: 38003109
DOI: 10.3390/ani13223491 -
Pediatrics and Neonatology Sep 2023Birth asphyxia causes hypoxia or inadequate perfusion to the organs of newborns, leading to metabolism dysfunctions including blood glucose disorders.
BACKGROUND
Birth asphyxia causes hypoxia or inadequate perfusion to the organs of newborns, leading to metabolism dysfunctions including blood glucose disorders.
METHODS
Neonates with and without birth asphyxia were retrospectively recruited from 53 hospitals in Hubei Province from January 1 to December 31, 2018. In summary, 875, 1139, and 180 cases in the control group, the mild asphyxia group, and the severe asphyxia group were recruited, respectively. Neonatal blood glucose values at postnatal 1, 2, 6, and 12 h (time error within 0.5 h was allowed) were gathered from the medical records.
RESULTS
The incidence rates of hyperglycemia in the control group, the mild asphyxia group and the severe asphyxia group were 2.97%, 7.90%, and 23.33%, respectively (p < 0.001). Additionally, the incidence rates of hypoglycemia in the three groups above were 3.66%, 4.13%, and 7.78%, respectively (p = 0.042). The blood glucose values of neonates with hypoglycemia in the asphyxia group were lower than in the control group (p = 0.003). Furthermore, the blood glucose values of neonates with hyperglycemia were highest in the severe asphyxia group (p < 0.001). There were 778 and 117 cases with blood glucose records at four predefined time points in the mild and severe asphyxia group, respectively. The incidence of blood glucose disorders in the mild asphyxia group significantly decreased from postnatal 6 h (p<0.05). However, we found no obvious changes of the incidence of glucose disorders within postnatal 12 h in the severe asphyxia group (p = 0.589).
CONCLUSION
Birth asphyxia is likely to cause neonatal blood glucose disorders, both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, during the early postnatal life. The neonates with severe asphyxia have higher incidence, worse severity and longer duration of blood glucose disorders than neonates with mild asphyxia.
Topics: Humans; Infant, Newborn; Blood Glucose; Asphyxia; Retrospective Studies; Asphyxia Neonatorum; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Hypoglycemia; Hyperglycemia; China
PubMed: 37105821
DOI: 10.1016/j.pedneo.2021.11.016 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Oct 2023Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) complicates among 0.2-2% of pregnancies and has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, including sudden stillbirth,...
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) complicates among 0.2-2% of pregnancies and has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, including sudden stillbirth, meconium strained fluid, preterm birth, perinatal asphyxia, and transient tachypnea of the newborn. The diagnosis of "bile acids pneumonia" was previously proposed and a causative role of bile acids (BA) was supposed with a possible mechanism of action including surfactant dysfunction, inflammation, and chemical pneumonia. In the last few years, the role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the diagnosis and management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome has grown, and LUS scores have been introduced in the literature, as an effective predictor of the need for surfactant treatment among neonates with respiratory distress syndrome. We present four cases of infants born from pregnancies complicated by ICP, who developed respiratory distress syndrome early after birth. Lung ultrasound showed the same pattern for all infants, corresponding to a homogeneous alveolar-interstitial syndrome characterized by a diffuse coalescing B-line pattern (white lung). All infants evaluated require non-invasive respiratory support and in three cases surfactant administration, despite the near-term gestational age, with rapid improvement of respiratory disease and a good clinical outcome.
PubMed: 37892703
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12206565 -
Translational Psychiatry Nov 2023The placenta plays a role in fetal brain development, and pregnancy and birth complications can be signs of placental dysfunction. Birth asphyxia is associated with...
The placenta plays a role in fetal brain development, and pregnancy and birth complications can be signs of placental dysfunction. Birth asphyxia is associated with smaller head size and higher risk of developing schizophrenia (SZ), but whether birth asphyxia and placental genomic risk factors associated with SZ are related and how they might impact brain development is unclear. 433 adult patients with SZ and 870 healthy controls were clinically evaluated and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. Pregnancy and birth information were obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) from the latest genome-wide association study in SZ were differentiated into placental PRS (PlacPRS) and non-placental PRS. If the interaction between PRSs and birth asphyxia on case-control status was significant, neonatal head circumference (nHC) and adult intracranial volume (ICV) were further evaluated with these variables using multiple regression. PlacPRS in individuals with a history of birth asphyxia was associated with a higher likelihood of being a patient with SZ (t = 2.10, p = 0.018). We found a significant interaction between PlacPRS and birth asphyxia on nHC in the whole sample (t = -2.43, p = 0.008), with higher placental PRS for SZ associated with lower nHC in those with birth asphyxia. This relationship was specific to males (t = -2.71, p = 0.005) and also found with their adult ICV (t = -1.97, p = 0.028). These findings suggest that placental pathophysiology and birth asphyxia may affect early and late trajectories of brain development, particularly in males with a higher vulnerability to SZ. This knowledge might lead to new strategies of treatment and prevention in SZ.
Topics: Pregnancy; Adult; Male; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Female; Placenta; Asphyxia; Genome-Wide Association Study; Schizophrenia; Genomics; Brain
PubMed: 37938559
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02639-4 -
Journal of Mother and Child Feb 2024Perinatal asphyxia, a leading cause of neonatal mortality and neurological sequelae, necessitates early detection of pathophysiological neurologic changes during... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Perinatal asphyxia, a leading cause of neonatal mortality and neurological sequelae, necessitates early detection of pathophysiological neurologic changes during hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). This study aimed to review published data on rScO2 monitoring during hypothermia treatment in neonates with perinatal asphyxia to predict short- and long-term neurological injury.
METHODS
A systematic review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Study identification was performed through a search between November and December 2021 in the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The main outcome was short-term (Changes in brain magnetic resonating imaging) and long-term (In neurodevelopment) neurological injury. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) with CRD42023395438.
RESULTS
380 articles were collected from databases in the initial search. Finally, 15 articles were selected for extraction and analysis of the information. An increase in rScO2 measured by NIRS (Near-infrared spectroscopy) at different moments of treatment predicts neurological injury. However, there exists a wide variability in the methods and outcomes of the studies.
CONCLUSION
High rScO2 values were found to predict negative outcomes, with substantial discord among studies. NIRS is proposed as a real-time bedside tool for predicting brain injury in neonates with moderate to severe HIE.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Humans; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Asphyxia; Brain; Hypothermia, Induced; Asphyxia Neonatorum
PubMed: 38639099
DOI: 10.34763/jmotherandchild.20242801.d-24-00010 -
Stroke Nov 2023Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury/encephalopathy affects about 1.15 million neonates per year, 96% of whom are born in low- and middle-income countries. Therapeutic...
BACKGROUND
Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury/encephalopathy affects about 1.15 million neonates per year, 96% of whom are born in low- and middle-income countries. Therapeutic hypothermia is not effective in this setting, possibly because injury occurs significantly before birth. Here, we studied the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of perinatal azithromycin administration in near-term lambs following global ischemic injury to support earlier treatment approaches.
METHODS
Ewes and their lambs of both sexes (n=34, 141-143 days) were randomly assigned to receive azithromycin or placebo before delivery as well as postnatally. Lambs were subjected to severe global hypoxia-ischemia utilizing an acute umbilical cord occlusion model. Outcomes were assessed over a 6-day period.
RESULTS
While maternal azithromycin exhibited relatively low placental transfer, azithromycin-treated lambs recovered spontaneous circulation faster following the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and were extubated sooner. Additionally, peri- and postnatal azithromycin administration was well tolerated, demonstrating a 77-hour plasma elimination half-life, as well as significant accumulation in the brain and other tissues. Azithromycin administration resulted in a systemic immunomodulatory effect, demonstrated by reductions in proinflammatory IL-6 (interleukin-6) levels. Treated lambs exhibited a trend toward improved neurodevelopmental outcomes while histological analysis revealed that azithromycin supported white matter preservation and attenuated inflammation in the cingulate and parasagittal cortex.
CONCLUSIONS
Perinatal azithromycin administration enhances neonatal resuscitation, attenuates neuroinflammation, and supports limited improvement of select histological outcomes in an ovine model of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury/encephalopathy.
Topics: Male; Animals; Sheep; Female; Pregnancy; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain; Azithromycin; Neuroprotection; Placenta; Resuscitation; Hypothermia, Induced; Brain Injuries
PubMed: 37846563
DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.043040 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Brain injury resulting from adverse events during pregnancy and delivery is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and disability. Surviving neonates often suffer... (Review)
Review
Brain injury resulting from adverse events during pregnancy and delivery is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and disability. Surviving neonates often suffer long-term motor, sensory, and cognitive impairments. Birth asphyxia is among the most common causes of neonatal encephalopathy. The integration of ultrasound, including Doppler ultrasound, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers a promising approach to understanding the pathology and diagnosis of encephalopathy in this special patient population. Ultrasound diagnosis can be very helpful for the assessment of structural abnormalities associated with neonatal encephalopathy such as alterations in brain structures (intraventricular hemorrhage, infarcts, hydrocephalus, white matter injury) and evaluation of morphologic changes. Doppler sonography is the most valuable method as it provides information about blood flow patterns and outcome prediction. NIRS provides valuable insight into the functional aspects of brain activity by measuring tissue oxygenation and blood flow. The combination of ultrasonography and NIRS may produce complementary information on structural and functional aspects of the brain. This review summarizes the current state of research, discusses advantages and limitations, and explores future directions to improve applicability and efficacy.
PubMed: 38790586
DOI: 10.3390/children11050591