Abstract
Background: A neonatal emergency may be defined as a potentially life-threatening disorder or anomaly which occurs within the first 28 days after birth. From an epidemiological stand point, some disorders may be specific to this period and so their knowledge may improve the management and be life-saving. Objective: To determine the various neonatal emergencies. Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional study with prospective and exhaustive recruitment of full-term neonates presenting emergencies at the Mother and Child Centre of the Chantal Biya Foundation. The study lasted for 4 months and was conducted from September to December 2018 in Yaounde, Cameroon. Results: The survey covered 235 neonatal emergencies, 28 (11.9%) were surgical emergencies, 207 (88%) were medical emergencies and 12 (5.1%) neonates had mixed emergencies. Most cases 137 (58.2%) occurred within the first week of life, the leading causes were sepsis 147 (62.5%), birth asphyxia 25 (10.6%) and jaundice 18 (7.6%). The death rate was 3.4% (08) mainly due to congenital malformations 50% (04) while 213 (90.6%) cases recovered. Conclusion: The leading causes of neonatal emergencies found in this study were not very different from those described in the literature and so prompt diagnosis and management may further improve the outcome of neonatal emergencies, with most neonates recovering.
Highlights
The neonatal period is a vulnerable period of infancy, and so neonates are a fragile population for which caution should be taken in management [1]
There are more than 3.8 million neonates who die during their first month of life with up to half of this occurring on the first day [7]
Neonatal emergency-related poor outcomes may be reduced by the implementation of optimal antenatal care, essential newborn care and the availability of skilled birth attendants [6, 10, 11]
Summary
The neonatal period is a vulnerable period of infancy, and so neonates are a fragile population for which caution should be taken in management [1]. A neonatal emergency may be considered as a potentially life-threatening disorder or anomaly which occurs during the first 28 days after birth [2]. Neonatal emergencies significantly contribute to under-5 morbidity and mortality in developing countries, mainly because of poverty and limited access to quality health care especially in rural areas [3,4,5]. A neonatal emergency may be defined as a potentially life-threatening disorder or anomaly which occurs within the first 28 days after birth. Most cases 137 (58.2%) occurred within the first week of life, the leading causes were sepsis 147 (62.5%), birth asphyxia 25 (10.6%) and jaundice 18 (7.6%). Conclusion: The leading causes of neonatal emergencies found in this study were not very different from those described in the literature and so prompt diagnosis and management may further improve the outcome of neonatal emergencies, with most neonates recovering
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