An etiological study of respiratory distress in neonates in a tertiary care medical college hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Respiratory distress is the most common cause of NICU admissions in newborns. Early diagnosis of cause of respiratory distress is important in the management of neonatal distress for better outcome. The high incidence of maternal risk factors and newborn receiving poor antenatal care continues to test the abilities of the neonatologist. Inspite of re¬cent advance in clinching diagnosis and management there are very less clinical studies on the neonatal respiratory distress in our country. Therefore, there is a need to know the etiological factors of the babies with respiratory distress.

Materials and methods: A descriptive study of 150 neonates admitted to NICU of Sri Siddhartha Medical College and Hospital with clinical features suggestive of respiratory distress. All the newborn babies who developed respiratory distress within 72 hours of life were included in the study and those who developed respiratory distress after 72 hours of life was excluded from the study.

Results: The commonest cause of neonatal respiratory distress in the present study was Respiratory distress syndrome (34%), followed by Transient tachypnoea of the newborn (30%), and Meconium aspiration syndrome (22.66%). LSCS was most common mode of delivery.

Conclusion: The most common causes of respiratory distress were RDS, TTNB, MAS, and birth asphyxia. Proper antenatal care and early diagnosis of the antenatal complication and avoiding preterm deliveries will aid in the better outcome of the newborns. Early detection and appropriate management are essential to ensure better outcome in all infants presenting with respiratory distress.