Asphyxia Neonatorum ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVESevere asphyxia during peripartum may lead to some sequela of the nervous system. Currently the neurologic outcome of asphyxiated neonates is assessed by using imaging techniques such as cranial ultrasound, CT and MRI except for evaluating perinatal abnormal factors and routine physical examinations of nervous system. These assessment approaches are based on the changes of anatomic structures of neonates. Electroencephalography (EEG) can show early abnormal cerebral functions. This study examined the EEG background activity and investigated the parameters associated with the prognostic assessment in full-term neonates with asphyxia.

METHODSA standard EEG was recorded in 49 asphyxiated full-term neonates aged from 24 hrs to 8 days. Of the 49 neonates, 14 had concurrent mild, 5 had moderate and 9 had severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Thirty-one aged-matched full-term neonates without asphyxia severed as the control group. Forty-three of 49 asphyxiated neonates were followed-up for neurological development for 6-12 months. Important parameters associated with neurological prognosis were evaluated by the principle of data statistics.

RESULTSThe mean interburst intervals was prolonged, the amplitude of brain electrical activity during all the states were lower, and the incidence of brief burst and sleep-wake cycle disturbance was higher in the asphyxiated group when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In the follow-up, 4 infants had poor fine motor function and 7 showed retarded psychomotor development in the asphyxiated group. Gestational age, birth weightamplitude of brain electrical activity, severity of HIE, occurrence of sleep-wake cycle disturbance and imaging abnormality were shown as important parameters for predicting neurological outcomes in asphyxiated neonates. The infants who EEG showed isoelectric tracings or isoelectric tracings accompanied with much abnormal discharge had very poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSEEG background pattern is valuable in predicting neurological outcomes for term neonates with asphyxia. EEG in combination with clinic data such as gestational age, birth weight, imaging examination, and severity of HIE may provide an accurate evaluation of neurological outcome.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; mortality ; physiopathology ; Electroencephalography ; methods ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Prognosis

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Resuscitation ; methods

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of neonatal asphyxia and possible contributing factors for the development of severe asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, China. METHODS: A total of 16 hospitals in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture were selected as research centers. A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 22 294 live births in these 16 hospitals from January to December, 2016 to investigate the incidence rate of neonatal asphyxia and possible contributing factors for the development of severe asphyxia. RESULTS: Of the 22 294 neonates born alive, 733 (3.29%) were diagnosed with neonatal asphyxia, among whom 627 had mild asphyxia and 106 had severe asphyxia. The neonates with low maternal education level, maternal anemia during pregnancy, chorioamnionitis, abnormal amniotic fluid, abnormal umbilical cord, placenta previa, placental abruption, Tujia Minority, preterm birth, and low birth weight had a higher incidence of severe asphyxia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The incidence rate of neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is higher. Low maternal education level, maternal anemia during pregnancy, chorioamnionitis, abnormal amniotic fluid, abnormal umbilical cord, placenta previa, placental abruption, Tujia Minority, preterm birth, and low birth weight may be related to the development of severe neonatal asphyxia.
Asphyxia Neonatorum ; epidemiology ; China ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of glucose metabolism disorders on the short-term prognosis in neonates with asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of the neonates with asphyxia who were admitted to 52 hospitals in Hubei Province of China from January to December, 2018 and had blood glucose data within 12 hours after birth. Their blood glucose data at 1, 2, 6, and 12 hours after birth (with an allowable time error of 0.5 hour) were recorded. According to the presence or absence of brain injury and/or death during hospitalization, the neonates were divided into a poor prognosis group with 693 neonates and a good prognosis group with 779 neonates. The two groups were compared in the incidence of glucose metabolism disorders within 12 hours after birth and short-term prognosis. RESULTS: Compared with the good prognosis group, the poor prognosis group had a significantly higher proportion of neonates from secondary hospitals (48.5% vs 42.6%, CONCLUSIONS Recurrent hyperglycemia in neonates with asphyxia may suggest poor short-term prognosis, and it is necessary to strengthen the early monitoring and management of the nervous system in such neonates.
Asphyxia ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Infant, Newborn ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Apgar Score ; Asphyxia Neonatorum ; blood ; diagnosis ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Umbilical Arteries

OBJECTIVETo explore the value of electroencephalogram (EEG) in early diagnosis of brain injury in neonates with asphyxia.

METHODSEEG examination was performed in 49 neonates with asphyxia (mild: n=9; severe: n=40) within 6 hrs of their births. Of the 49 asphyxiated neonates, 33 had concurrent HIE, including 20 cases of mild, 9 cases of moderate and 4 cases of severe HIE.

RESULTSTwenty-one (63.6%) out of the 33 patients with HIE showed abnormal EEG, but only one (6.3%) in the asphyxia group without HIE. All of 13 patients with moderate-severe HIE showed abnormal EEG. The degree of EEG abnormality in neonates with HIE was consistent with the clinical grading of HIE. The neonates whose EEG showed electrical silence and burst suppression and the abnormalities were kept unrecoverable for more than 2 weeks had very poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSEEG can reflect brain injury caused by neonatal asphyxia and the severity of brain injury. It may be useful for early diagnosis of brain injury following asphyxia in neonates.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; complications ; physiopathology ; Early Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; diagnosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

OBJECTIVENeonatal asphyxia is the third leading cause of neonatal death and main cause of long-term neurodevelopmental handicap throughout the world. Prevention is more important than treatment. Most previous reports are limited to retrospective investigations of the relationships between some prenatal risk factors and low Apgar scores. This study was designed to prospectively investigate the relationship between prenatal risk factors and neonatal asphyxia and the influence of single or multiple risk factors on the incidence of neonatal asphyxia, and examine significant risk factors for neonatal asphyxia.

METHODSFrom April 2002 through October 2004, a total of 10 376 live-born newborns were enrolled. Forty-six prenatal risk factors were investigated. Neonatal asphyxia was diagnosed based on the following four items: 1. 1-min Apgar score asphyxia was analyzed. The significant risk factors were screened by single logistic regression analysis and forward stepwise conditional multiple logistic regression analysis, with enrolled threshold alphaor=0.10 and p<0.05 as significant. The OR and 95%CI were calculated for each significant risk factor.

RESULTSOf the 10 376 newborns, 8 530 cases (82.21%) had 1-9 risk factors, and asphyxia occurred in 117 cases (1.13%) out of the 8 530 cases. In the 1 846 cases without risk factors, none had asphyxia (x2=25.6, p<0.01). The incidence of asphyxia increased with increasing numbers of risk factors, from 0.23% in newborns with one risk factor to 14.29% in newborns who had nine risk factors (r=0.96, p<0.01). Twelve significant risk factors identified were as follows: ominous fetal heart rate patterns (OR=17.1,95%CI:11.2-25.9), placenta abruption (OR=15.2, 95% CI: 4.5-51.8), maternal lung diseases (OR=11.5, 95% CI:1.4-91.3), fetal acidosis (OR=6.1, 95% CI:1.5-24.1), placenta previa (OR=5.0,95% CI:1.5-16.9), breech delivery (OR=4.5, 95% CI: 2.1-9.9), meconium stained amniotic fluid (OR=3.2, 95% CI:2.2-4.8), forcepsjassisted delivery (OR=3.2, 95%CI: 1.1-9.9), prolonged labor (OR=2.94, 95%CI:1.5-5.8), abnormal utero contraction (OR=2.8, 95% CI:1.7-4.6), and premature delivery (OR=2.5,95%CI:1.4-4.8). Cesarean section had a protective effect (OR=0.6, 95% CI:0.4-0.9) (all p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIt is very important to prevent perinatal asphyxia by systematically examining prenatal risk factors and giving interventions for the newborns with risk factors, especially those with the above significant risk factors or with multiple risk factors. Proper cesareon section according to indications might be helpful to decrease the incidence of birth asphyxia.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Prenatal Care ; Risk Factors

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; blood ; Calcium ; blood ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parathyroid Hormone ; blood

BACKGROUNDSeventeen million births occur in China each year. Neonatal mortality is the leading cause of under 5-year-old child deaths, and intrapartum-related injury accounts for much of mental retardation in young children. The Chinese Ministry of Health sought to improve infant and child survival through a nationwide initiative to have at least one person trained in neonatal resuscitation at every birth. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of China Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) on policy and infrastructure changes and its effectiveness in decreasing the incidence of mortality among newborn infants.

METHODSThe Chinese NRP incorporated policy change, professional education, and creation of a sustainable health system infrastructure for resuscitation. Multidisciplinary teams from all 31 provinces and municipal states disseminated NRP in a train-the-trainer cascade. The intervention targeted 20 provinces with high neonatal mortality and programs to reduce maternal mortality. Program evaluation data came from 322 representative hospitals in those provinces.

RESULTSChanges in policy permitted midwives to initiate resuscitation and required resuscitation training for licensure. From 2004 through 2009 more than 110,659 professionals received NRP training in the 20 target provinces, with 94% of delivery facilities and 99% of counties reached. Intrapartum-related deaths in the delivery room decreased from 7.5 to 3.4 per 10,000 from 2003 to 2008, and the incidence of Apgar ≤ 7 at 1 minute decreased from 6.3% to 2.9%.

CONCLUSIONSThe Chinese NRP achieved policy changes promoting resuscitation, trained large numbers of professionals, and contributed to reduction in delivery room mortality. Improved adherence to the resuscitation algorithm, extension of training to the township level, and coverage of births now occurring outside health facilities can further increase the number of lives saved.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; epidemiology ; mortality ; China ; Clinical Competence ; Humans ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Resuscitation ; education ; instrumentation