Epidemiological Profile of Premature Newborns Monitored at the Kangaroo Unit at Sikasso Hospital

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiological profile of preterm infants followed at the Kangaroo Unit. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in the Pediatrics Department of Sikasso hospital (Mali), a second-reference hospital from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 on a comprehensive sample of all preterm infants followed at the unit during the study period. Results: We collected 94 files out of 194, a frequency of 48.4%. The average age of mothers was 28.5 years and 92, 5% were married, the out-of-school represented 51%. Housewives were the majority with 78.8% and living in urban communities in 70.2%. Primigest accounted for 37.2% of cases; 62.7% of women had completed at least four antenatal consultations. Malaria was found in 38.2% of pathologies during pregnancy. In 73.4% of the cases the newborns were born from a vaginal birth and 54.2% from birth in the born. The sex ratio is 1.5 and average gestational age is 31 SA. The average weight was 1325g. 40% of newborns were successfully followed up to 12 months of corrected age, sight loss was 21.2% and 40.4% were outstanding follow-up, we recorded 7 deaths or 7.4%. From 3 months to 12 months of corrected age all infants had an average weight located within WHO standard standards. Conclusion: The management of premature babies remains a major challenge for the pediatric services of our hospitals.