Neurodevelopmental Outcome Of Infants Research Articles

Congenital Heart Disease and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants and Adolescents

Abstract: Patients with complicated congenital heart disease are at risk of neurodevelopmental disability. This study aimed to study the correlation between brain development and congenital heart disease in infants. Studies have shown that brain maturation is delayed, and injury may be caused in the white matter or brain volume after the interventions like surgery for congenital heart disease. Secondary research was conducted to find the results of the effects of congenital heart disease on brain development. It was found that white matter has more injury than grey matter. The total brain volume is lower than in control patients. Amongst six different types of congenital heart disease (TOF, DORV, TGA, AoOb, HLHS, HRHS) studied Tetralogy of Fallot showed the most reduced brain volume compared to others. Adolescents with cyanotic heart disease lost more brain volume than those without, particularly in the white matter. In conclusion, it was found that patients with congenital heart disease have smaller brain volumes, smaller cerebellar volumes, and injury in the white matter

Effects of Cerebrolysin on the Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants with Down Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

ABSTRACT Introduction Down syndrome (DS) is a common cause of intellectual disability with a possible glial-neuronal disruption. We assessed the effects of Cerebrolysin on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants with DS. Methods This randomized controlled pilot trial included 64 infants with DS. They were allocated into a treatment group (n =32) who received weekly intramuscular Cerebrolysin injections for 12 months and a control group (n =32) who did not receive Cerebrolysin. We assessed the five domains of neurodevelopment (expressive communication, receptive communication, fine motor, gross motor, and cognitive development) for both groups at the ages of 6 months (basal visit), 12 months (first follow-up visit) and 18 months (second follow-up visit), using Bayley Scales of infant and toddler development (third edition). The secondary outcome was to detect the occurrence of Cerebrolysin-related side effects among the treatment group. Kendall’s tau-b correlation coefficient, chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for the statistical analysis. Results Infants of both groups were matched with respect to gender, maternal level of education, their initial growth parameters, nutritional status, and socioeconomic status. No statistically significant differences existed between both groups regarding all neurodevelopmental domains on the basal visit, while on subsequent visits Z-scores improved in the treatment group, but not in the controls. Within the treatment group, there was a significant improvement in all domains at 12 and 18 months of age (p < .001). The improvement was mainly during the first 6 months of the study (p < .001 for all domains), and was best for fine motor and cognitive development. Only one infant in the treatment group developed fits and was ruled out from the study. Conclusion Weekly intramuscular injections of Cerebrolysin during the first year of life could possibly improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes and mental health in infants with DS. Further, large-scale studies are still needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Cerebrolysin among this sector of disabled infants.

Sleep disturbances in infants and young children following an acquired brain injury.

Sleep disturbances impact over half of older children and teens with acquired brain injury (ABI) following critical care hospitalization but are underevaluated in infants and young children. Given the importance of sleep in brain development and healing after injury, we hypothesized sleep disturbances would be associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with ABI. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 68 children aged 2-32 months following critical care hospitalization for ABI. The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire assessed sleep disturbances. Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, third edition and Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, third edition assessed developmental and adaptive functioning outcomes, respectively. t tests compared sleep characteristics in infants with ABI to historical healthy controls. Spearman's correlation evaluated relationships among sleep and outcomes. Multiple linear regression investigated relationships controlling for demographic and ABI characteristics. Compared to healthy controls, children with ABI had shorter nighttime sleep duration (P = .01), longer daytime sleep duration (P < .001), and longer duration of nighttime awakenings (P < .001). Duration of night awakenings negatively correlated with Bayley Cognitive scores (Spearman's correlation = -.40). Night awakenings negatively correlated with worse Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, third edition General Adaptive Composite scores (Spearman's correlation = -.42). When controlling for demographic and ABI characteristics, ≥ 3 awakenings was significantly associated with worse Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, third edition General Adaptive Composite (β = -11.3; 95% confidence interval = -19.2, -3.5). Sleep disturbances are associated with poorer outcomes in infants and toddlers after ABI. Sleep is vital to recovery and a potentially modifiable target to improve outcomes. Klapp JM, Hall TA, Riley AR, Williams CN. Sleep disturbances in infants and young children following an acquired brain injury. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(10):2387-2395.

Respiratory morbidity and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants born preterm: A complex web.

This commentary is on the original article by Yu et al. on pages 1246–1253 of this issue.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Infants at

To evaluate changes in mortality or significant neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in children born at <29weeks of gestation in association with national quality improvement initiatives. This longitudinal cohort study included children born at 220/7 to 286/7weeks of gestation who were admitted to Canadian neonatal intensive care units between 2009 and 2016. The primary outcome was a composite rate of death or significant NDI (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition score <70, severe cerebral palsy, blindness, or deafness requiring amplification) at 18-24months corrected age. To evaluate temporal changes, outcomes were compared between epoch 1 (2009-2012) and epoch 2 (2013-2016). aORs were calculated for differences between the 2 epochs accounting for differences in patient characteristics. The 4426 children included 1895 (43%) born in epoch 1 and 2531 (57%) born in epoch 2. Compared with epoch 1, in epoch 2 more mothers received magnesium sulfate (56% vs 28%), antibiotics (69% vs 65%), and delayed cord clamping (37% vs 31%) and fewer infants had a Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology, version II >20 (31% vs 35%) and late-onset sepsis (23% vs 27%). Death or significant NDI occurred in 30% of children in epoch 2 versus 32% of children in epoch 1 (aOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.75-0.99). In epoch 2, there were reductions in the need for hearing aids or cochlear implants (1.4% vs 2.6%; aOR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31-0.82) and in blindness (0.6% vs.1.4%; aOR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.18-0.80). Among preterm infants born at <29weeks of gestation, composite rates of death or significant NDI and rates of visual and hearing impairment were significantly lower in 2013-2016 compared with 2009-2012.

Scoring of brain magnetic resonance imaging and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with congenital heart disease

BackgroundAdvances in surgical techniques to tackle critical congenital heart diseases (CHD) have enhanced the survival rates and life expectancy of children born with heart disease. Studies to better acknowledge their neurodevelopmental trajectory have paramount implications. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to examine the nature of brain MRI findings in infants born with critical congenital heart diseases needing intervention in the first 6 months of life, with the help of an MRI scoring system and correlation with long term neurodevelopmental outcomes. MethodsBrain MRI scans of eligible infants were extracted from database, reexamined to categorize, and score them into three main functional areas: cognitive/grey matter, motor/white matter, and visual. The scoring system also included stage of myelination and presence of punctate hemorrhages. The correlation of individual and total MRI scores with neurodevelopmental assessment using Bayley Scales for Infant and Toddler Development- version 3 (BSID III) were examined via logistic regression models while controlling for confounding variables. ResultMedian (IQR) MRI score was 6 (4–7) with grey matter score of 2 (1–4). Initial BSID III scores were 80 ± 15, 80 ± 18, and 81 ± 19 for cognitive, motor and language components, respectively. The MRI cognitive score had direct correlation with respiratory index prior to surgery (cc = 0.47, p = 0.03) and cross-clamping time (cc = 0.65, p = 0.001). It displayed a significant inverse correlation with language scores for BSID III at 9 months (R = -0.42, p = 0.04) which lost significance in subsequent visits. ConclusionThis pilot study proved the feasibility of correlating structural brain abnormalities in MRI with later brain developmental deficits in infants with CHD. We envision establishing a standardized MRI scoring system to be performed on a large multi-center cohort that would help better predict and measure brain injury in infants with CHDs.

A prospective cohort study of head circumference and its association with neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants and young children in rural Guatemala.

Microcephaly, an anthropometric marker of reduced brain volume and predictor of developmental disability, is rare in high-income countries. Recent reports show the prevalence of microcephaly to be much higher in lower resource settings. We calculated the prevalence of microcephaly in infants and young children (n = 642; age range = 0.1-35.9 months), examined trends in occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) growth in the year after birth and evaluated the relationship between OFC and performance on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) in rural Guatemala. Multivariable regression analyses adjusted for age were performed: (1) a model comparing concurrent MSEL performance and OFC at all visits per child, (2) concurrent OFC and MSEL performance by age group, and (3) OFC at enrollment and MSEL at final visit by age group. Prevalence of microcephaly ranged from 10.1% to 25.0%. OFC z-score decreased for most infants throughout the first year after birth. A significant positive association between continuous OFC measurement and MSEL score suggested that children with smaller OFC may do worse on ND tests conducted both concurrently and ∼1 year later. Results were variable when analyzed by OFC cutoff scores and stratified by 6-month age groups. OFC should be considered for inclusion in developmental screening assessments at the individual and population level, especially when performance-based testing is not feasible.

Early motor behavior of infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders — A South African perspective

IntroductionOver the past five decades the bulk of research on exposure to maternal mental health disorders and infant neurodevelopment has been generated in high-income countries. The current study included infants, residing in low-income communities in South Africa, born to mothers with a history of psychiatric disorders. AimTo assess the motor behavior of 10- to 20-week-old infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders, and a subgroup of infants with prenatal psychotropic medication exposure. MethodsThe present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study, with a longitudinal subgroup analysis. General Movement Assessment (GMA), including the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), was used at 10–20 weeks corrected age to assess infant motor behavior. ResultsThe study included 112 infants. No significant difference (p = 0.523) was found on the MOS-R between infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders (n = 70) and the comparison group (n = 42). Both the exposed and comparison groups scored within the mildly reduced range on the MOS-R. No significant differences were found in a subgroup of infants with prenatal exposure to multi-class psychotropic medication (n = 17), mono-class psychotropic medication (n = 35) or valproate exposure (n = 10) (p > 0.1). ConclusionNo association was found between exposure to maternal mental health disorders or exposure to psychotropic medication and infant motor behavior at 10–20 weeks post-term age on the MOS-R. Future research should focus on the contribution of exposure to specific classes and types of psychotropic medication on neurodevelopmental outcome of infants in larger cohorts.

The effect of dexmedetomidine on neuroprotection in pediatric cardiac surgery patients: study protocol for a prospective randomized controlled trial

BackgroundInfants undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass are vulnerable to postoperative neurodevelopmental delays. Dexmedetomidine has been shown to have protective effects on the heart, kidneys, and brain in animals and adults undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. We hypothesized that dexmedetomidine would have a neuroprotective effect on infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass and planned a prospective randomized controlled trial with postoperative neurodevelopment measurements.MethodsThis is a single-center, prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation. A cohort of 160 infants undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass will be enrolled. After induction, dexmedetomidine will be infused with a loading dose of 1 μg/kg and a maintenance dose of 0.5 μg/kg/h or the same amount of normal saline will be administered. Upon initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass, an additional dose of dexmedetomidine (0.01 μg/cardiopulmonary priming volume) will be mixed with the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. The primary outcome will be the proportion of infants who score lower than 85 in any of the cognitive, language, or motor Bayley scales of infant development-III tests 1 year after the surgery. Other feasible outcome measures will include differences in plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein, troponin I, interleukin-6, urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and perioperative major adverse events. The results of the Bayley scales of infant development-III test from the study group and the control group will be compared using a chi-squared test under intention-to-treat analysis. A generalized estimating equation will be used to analyze repeated measurements over time.DiscussionThis study will enable us to assess whether the use of dexmedetomidine can alter the early neurodevelopmental outcome in infants undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and also estimate effects of dexmedetomidine on other organs.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04484922. Registered on 24 July 2020

Early-life respiratory trajectories and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants born very and extremely preterm: A retrospective study.

To determine whether early-life respiratory trajectories are associated with neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in infants born very and extremely preterm. The daily type of respiratory supports in the first 8 weeks after birth were analysed in 546 infants (285 males, 261 females; median gestational age=28.0 weeks, interquartile range=3 weeks), comprising 301 infants born very preterm (gestation=28-30 weeks) and 245 infants born extremely preterm (gestation <28 weeks), who survived to discharge from 2004 to 2018 and received follow-up assessment by Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development at a corrected age of 24 months. NDI included cognition or motor impairment, moderate and severe cerebral palsy, or visual and hearing impairment. Clustering analysis identified three respiratory patterns with increasing severity: improving; slowly improving; and delayed improvement. These were significantly associated with increasing rates of NDI in infants born very and extremely preterm and smaller head circumference in infants born extremely preterm (both p < 0.001). By day 28, the proportion of infants who were under different categories of ventilation support significantly differed according to the three trajectory groups in infants born very and extremely preterm (both p < 0.05). Models that included adverse respiratory trajectories demonstrated more negative impacts on neurodevelopment than those without. An adverse early-life respiratory trajectory was associated with NDI at follow-up, especially in infants born extremely preterm, suggesting a lung-brain axis of preterm birth. Clustering analysis identified three respiratory trajectories with increasing severity in infants born preterm. Increasing severity of respiratory trajectories was associated with increasing rates of neurodevelopmental impairment. Adverse respiratory trajectories had a significantly negative impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants With Cardiac Surgery Associated Acute Kidney Injury

BackgroundInfants who undergo surgery for congenital heart disease are at risk of neurodevelopmental delay. Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) is common but its association with neurodevelopment has not been explored. MethodsThis was a single-center retrospective observational study of infants who underwent cardiac surgery in the first year of life who had neurodevelopmental testing using the Bayley Scale for Infant Development, third edition. Single and recurrent episodes of stages 2 and 3 CS-AKI were determined. ResultsOf 203 children with median age at first surgery of 12 days, 31% had one or more episodes of severe CS-AKI; of those, 16% had recurrent CS-AKI. Median age at neurodevelopmental assessment was 20 months. The incidence of delay was similar for patients with and patients without CS-AKI but all children with recurrent CS-AKI had a delay in one or more domains and had significantly lower scores in all three domains, namely, cognitive, language, and motor. ConclusionsThis study has assessed the association of CS-AKI with neurodevelopmental delay after surgery for congenital heart disease in infancy. Infants who have recurrent CS-AKI in the first year of life are more likely to be delayed and have lower neurodevelopmental scores.

Physiological CTG categorization in types of hypoxia compared with MRI and neurodevelopmental outcome in infants with HIE

Background Commonly used methods of CTG classification do not reliably predict neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Objective To examine whether a relationship exists between the types of hypoxia as identified on the cardiotocograph using novel physiology-based CTG classification and patterns of injury on neonatal cerebral MRI and later neurodevelopmental outcomes. Study design A retrospective study of term-born infants admitted to four neonatal units with HIE as part of a brain injury biomarkers study between January 2014 and December 2015. Intrapartum CTG traces were analyzed by two obstetricians trained in physiological CTG classification, blind to neonatal outcomes. Neonatal cerebral MR images were assessed independently by a neuroradiologist and an expert neonatologist. CTG traces were classified into types of hypoxia and allocated to groups; (1) chronic hypoxia or antepartum injury; (2) gradually evolving or subacute hypoxia; and (3) acute hypoxia. Results Of 106 infants recruited to the study, records were available for 58 cases. Of these, CTGs were available for 37. All 37 had abnormal CTGs. Twenty-four infants, all of whom had received therapeutic hypothermia had cerebral MRI. Fourteen of the 24 (58%) infants had abnormal MRI. In group 1 (chronic hypoxia/antenatal injury), total brain injury was most predominant (4/6 infants). Group 2 (gradually evolving/subacute hypoxia) was associated with peripheral brain injury (5/5 infants). Group 3 (acute hypoxia) was associated with basal-ganglia thalamic injury pattern (3/3 infants). Later neurodevelopmental outcomes were available for 35 cases. Infants suspected to have a pre-labor injury on CTG (group 1) had a higher proportion of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes (4/10, 40%) compared to groups 2 and 3 (4/25, 16%). Conclusion Using this novel physiology-based CTG classification, we demonstrate an association between types of hypoxia observed on the CTG and MRI patterns of hypoxic brain injury. Infants with CTG trace suggestive of chronic hypoxia or other antenatal injuries were overrepresented in this cohort and were also more likely to have a poor neurodevelopmental outcome.

DNA methylation mediates a randomized controlled trial home-visiting intervention during pregnancy and the Bayley infant’s cognitive scores at 12 months of age

The crosstalk between maternal stress exposure and fetal development may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm). To address this matter, we collect 32 cord blood samples from low-income Brazilian pregnant adolescents participants of a pilot randomized clinical intervention study (ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02807818). We hypothesized that the association between the intervention and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months of age would be mediated by DNAm. First, we searched genome methylation differences between cases and controls using different approaches, as well as differences in age acceleration (AA), represented by the difference of methylation age and birth age. According to an adjusted p-value ≤ 0.05 we identified 3090 differentially methylated positions- CpG sites (DMPs), 21 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and one comethylated module weakly preserved between groups. The intervention group presented a smaller AA compared to the control group (p = 0.025). A logistic regression controlled by sex and with gestational age indicated a coefficient of -0.35 towards intervention group (p = 0.016) considering AA. A higher cognitive domain score from Bayley III scale was observed in the intervention group at 12 months of age. Then, we performed a potential causal mediation analysis selecting only DMPs highly associated with the cognitive domain (adj. R2 > 0.4), DMRs and CpGs of hub genes from the weakly preserved comethylated module and epigenetic clock as raw values. DMPs in STXBP6, and PF4 DMR, mediated the association between the maternal intervention and the cognitive domain at 12 months of age. In conclusion, DNAm in different sites and regions mediated the association between intervention and cognitive outcome.

Clinical Features and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Infants with Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus, Colombia.

Transplacental transmission of Zika virus has been reported during all trimesters of pregnancy and might lead to central nervous system anomalies, including microcephaly. We report 3 cases of perinatal Zika infection identified during the epidemic in Colombia and provide detailed descriptions of clinical features, diagnosis, and neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 months of age (corrected).

Clinical Features and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Infants with Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus, Colombia

Clinical Features and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Infants with Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus, Colombia

Maternal and Neonatal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Impairment in Premature Infants.

The N3 and N6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are essential for proper neurodevelopment in early life. These fatty acids are passed from mother to infant via the placenta, accreting into fetal tissues such as brain and adipose tissue. Placental transfer of LCPUFA is highest in the final trimester, but this transfer is abruptly severed with premature birth. As such, efforts have been made to supplement the post-natal feed of premature infants with LCPUFA to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. This narrative review analyzes the current body of evidence pertinent to neurodevelopmental outcomes after LCPUFA supplementation in prematurely born infants, which was identified via the reference lists of systematic and narrative reviews and PubMed search engine results. This review finds that, while the evidence is weakened by heterogeneity, it may be seen that feed comprising 0.3% DHA and 0.6% AA is associated with more positive neurodevelopmental outcomes than LCPUFA-deplete feed. While no new RCTs have been performed since the most recent Cochrane meta-analysis in 2016, this narrative review provides a wider commentary; the wider effects of LCPUFA supplementation in prematurely born infants, the physiology of LCPUFA accretion into preterm tissues, and the physiological effects of LCPUFA that affect neurodevelopment. We also discuss the roles of maternal LCPUFA status as a modifiable factor affecting the risk of preterm birth and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. To better understand the role of LCPUFAs in infant neurodevelopment, future study designs must consider absolute and relative availabilities of all LCPUFA species and incorporate the LCPUFA status of both mother and infant in pre- and postnatal periods.

Neonatal quantitative electroencephalography and long‐term outcomes: a systematic review

AimTo evaluate quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG) measures as predictors of long‐term neurodevelopmental outcome in infants with a postconceptional age below 46 weeks, including typically developing infants born at term, infants with heterogeneous underlying pathologies, and infants born preterm.MethodA comprehensive search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from study inception up to 8th January 2021. Studies that examined associations between neonatal quantitative EEG measures, based on conventional and amplitude‐integrated EEG, and standardized neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years of age or older were reviewed. Significant associations between neonatal quantitative EEG and long‐term outcome measures were grouped into one or more of the following categories: cognitive outcome; motor outcome; composite scores; and other standardized outcome assessments.ResultsTwenty‐four out of 1740 studies were included. Multiple studies showed that conventional EEG‐based absolute power in the delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands and conventional and amplitude‐integrated EEG‐related amplitudes were positively associated with favourable long‐term outcome across several domains, including cognition and motor performance. Furthermore, a lower presence of discontinuous background pattern was also associated with favourable outcomes. However, interpretation of the results is limited by heterogeneity in study design and populations.InterpretationNeonatal quantitative EEG measures may be used as prognostic biomarkers to identify those infants who will develop long‐term difficulties and who might benefit from early interventions.

Outcome of non-cooled asphyxiated infants with under-recognised or delayed-onset encephalopathy

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical characteristics, MRI findings and neurodevelopmental outcome of infants with documented perinatal asphyxia and seizure onset within 24 hours after birth who were not selected for therapeutic...

The Effect of Size and Asymmetry at Birth on Brain Injury and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease

Poor and asymmetric fetal growth have been associated with neonatal brain injury (BI) and worse neurodevelopmental outcomes (NDO) in the growth-restricted population due to placental insufficiency. We tested the hypothesis that postnatal markers of fetal growth (birthweight (BW), head circumference (HC), and head to body symmetry) are associated with preoperative white matter injury (WMI) and NDO in infants with single ventricle physiology (SVP) and d-transposition of great arteries (TGA). 173 term newborns (106 TGA; 67 SVP) at two sites had pre-operative brain MRI to assess for WMI and measures of microstructural brain development. NDO was assessed at 30 months with the Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II (n = 69). We tested the association between growth parameters at birth with the primary outcome of WMI on the pre-operative brain MRI. Secondary outcomes included measures of NDO. Newborns with TGA were more likely to have growth asymmetry with smaller heads relative to weight while SVP newborns were symmetrically small. There was no association between BW, HC or asymmetry and WMI on preoperative brain MRI or with measures of microstructural brain development. Similarly, growth parameters at birth were not associated with NDO at 30 months. In a multivariable model only cardiac lesion and site were associated with NDO. Unlike other high-risk infant populations, postnatal markers of fetal growth including head to body asymmetry that is common in TGA is not associated with brain injury or NDO. Lesion type appears to play a more important role in NDO in CHD.

Effect of preterm premature rupture of membranes on neurodevelopmental outcome of infants among preterm infants born at Hawassa comprehen sive specialized Hospital of Sidama Region, Ethiopia, 2022

Objective: To verify whether preterm premature rupture of membranes has effect on neurodevelopmental outcome of Infant among preterm infants born at Hawassa Comprehensive Specialized Hospital of Sidama region, Ethiopia, 2022. Methods and materials: A prospective cohort study design will be conducted for 2 years and 6 months from March 1/2022 to August 30/2024. A total of 12 Midwives. 6 supervisors and 1 pediatric neurologist or psychiatrist will be involved in the data collection process. All preterm infants will be recruited consecutively from preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit from March 1/2022 to August 30/2022. The preterm infants will be categorized into Exposed group (preterm infants born after preterm PROM) and non-exposed group (preterm infants born after spontaneous preterm labour) and followed until 2 years of age to assess neurodevelopmental outcome of infants The data will be entered into Epidata software and exported to SPSS software for windows version 23. For analysis. Descriptive statistics will be computed. One-way Anova and post hoc comparisons with Scheffe’s procedure will be used X2 test or Fisher’s exact test will be used to compare categorical variables.