Neonatal Mortality in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Benghazi Pediatric Hospital– Libya.

Abstract

This research aims to study mortality rates and identify the direct causes of neonatal deaths among newborns at Benghazi Pediatric Hospital. A descriptive case series study was conducted during 2015. Data included; birth weight, gender, residency, duration of hospital stay, age of neonates at death, and causes of death. Out of 1610 neonatal admissions reviewed, the total number of deaths was 122 during 2015. The data focused on death certificates of neonates and showed that the male gender was predominant (62.3 %). Most of them had a birth weight ranged between 2-2.9 Kg. Approximately 52 % of neonatal deaths in one day were of newborns <1 week old, and 54% were full-term  newborns. The most frequent direct single cause of death in neonates was prematurity, then neonatal sepsis and congenital heart disease respectively. The study concluded that the most frequent causes of infant mortality related deaths were prematurity then neonatal sepsis. Furthermore, future research is recommended, and the calculation of early and late neonatal mortality rate with the availability of total live births.