ROLE OF MAGNESIUM SULPHATE IN SHORT TERM NEUROLOGICAL OUTCOME OF PERINATAL ASPHYXIA

Abstract

Background: Perinatal asphyxia or Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) is a condition of impaired blood gas exchange during the intrapartum period that leads to progressive hypoxemia and hypercapnea with a metabolic acidosis resulting ischemic encephalopathy. Now a days many therapeutic interventions are tried to reduce the morbidity and mortality in Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Magnesium sulphate is one of them. Reduced morbidity with such an inexpensive and easy to administered drug is appreciable especially for resource limited countries. Objective: To compare Magnesium sulphate to placebo in short term neurological outcome of the full term newborns presented with perinatal asphyxia. Study design: It was a randomised control trial. Methodology: 200 term neonates with moderate to severe perinatal asphyxia admitted in NNU were studied in a prospective, longitudinal placebo control trial. Patients were randomly assigned in two groups. One group received 3 doses of Mgso4 infusion at 250 mg/kg per dose 24 hr apart ( treatment group A) and second group received 3 doses of normal saline infusion 1 ml/kg per dose 24 hr apart ( placebo group B) . Both groups received same supportive care according to unit protocol. Results: Showed a significant difference in short term outcome in the form of early discharge and oral feeding. 71% of the patient in treatment group were discharged on oral feeding up to 2 weeks comparative to 23% patients in placebo group. Mortality in treatment group(A) was 13% and in placebo(B) 23%. Conclusion: The study concluded that the Magnesium sulphate is an effective drug for the management of morbidity in perinatal asphyxia.