Catamnestic Observation of Premature Newborns with Nervous System Injury in the Kyrgyz Republic

Background: Recently, among child disability disorders nervous system diseases are prevailing 19.5%, while mental disorders are 14.3% and congenital malformations 21%. In most cases, children’s neurological disability is associated with pathology during the perinatal period, while 24% of patients have a cerebral impairment. Premature newborns perished 30 to 35 times more often than in-time newborns, and perinatal mortality in case of premature pregnancies is 30 to 40 times higher than in term delivery. Aim: This article is studying catamnestic observation of premature newborns with nervous system injury and with perinatal pathology in Kyrgyzstan for the period 2020-2021. Preterm newborns’ anthropometric characteristics and main diagnoses associated with diseases in the gestational period were shown. Methods: A comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination including premature newborns health dynamic monitoring with gestational age from 28 to 36 weeks, who were treated in the neonatal pathology department of the Regional Maternity Hospital in Osh for the period from 2020-2021 were carried out. Literature review analysis from PubMed database, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and clinical trials performed. Results: after clinical examination, it was revealed that pregnancy and childbirth in all mothers of the studied group passed with complications. In mothers of the studying group, the most common pathologies during pregnancy were chronic fetal hypoxia 49 (58.4%), acute respiratory infections 28 (33.4%), the threat of termination of pregnancy 20 (23.9%), preeclampsia 16 (19.11%), sexually transmitted infections 9 (10.8%), pyelonephritis 14 (16.7%), polyhydramnios 9 (10.8%), 71 children (84.6%) were born with asphyxiation and 25 children extracted by cesarean section with varying degrees of severity. Conclusions: Depending on the severity of the perinatal lesion of the nervous system and pathological factor effects, it is very important to start early habilitation measures with preterm newborns who are at risk of developmental delay deviations, and to exit disabling disorders.

Prevalence, Risk Factors and Intra-Hospital Outcomes Relating to Peri-Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Premature Newborns of Gestational Age Less than 34 Weeks

Peri-intraventricular hemorrhage is one of the main causes of neurological impairment in premature newborns. To control their risk factors is necessary in view of the increasing survival of extreme preterm infants. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of peri-intraventricular hemorrhage in premature newborns, identify the risk factors and observe the frequencies of intra-hospital outcomes of interests. Methods: This study was done in Brazil. This was an observational, analytical longitudinal and prospective study. The subjects included were newborns of gestational age less than 34 weeks who were admitted to two public hospitals between May and November 2015. To assess possible associated factors, obstetric, perinatal and neonatal data were analyzed (chorioamnionitis, antenatal corticosteroids, gestational age, newborn weight, Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes, resuscitation in the delivery room, surfactant in the delivery room, newborn transferred from another hospital, respiratory distress syndrome: RDS, sepsis, umbilical vein catheterization, assisted ventilation, exogenous surfactant in the Neonatal ICU, use of sodium bicarbonate, inotropic agents, adrenaline, volume expanders and blood products). The hospital outcomes studied were assisted ventilation time, hospital stay and death. The data analysis was performed by chi-square test or Fisher’s test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Out of 156 newborns, 46 (29.9%) presented peri-intraventricular hemorrhage and 28.2% of these had a severe form of the disease. There were significant associations (p < 0.05) with the following risk factors: gestational age, birth weight, low Apgar score, delivery room resuscitation, RDS, surfactant use, sepsis, packed red blood cell transfusion, mechanical ventilation and umbilical vein catheterization. The newborns with peri-intraventricular hemorrhage presented longer times on assisted ventilation, longer hospital stays and higher risk of death. Conclusion: The prevalence of peri-intraventricular hemorrhage was high in the population studied, especially the severe form. Perinatal and neonatal risk factors were associated with a higher risk of developing the disease and the outcomes studied were more evident in these newborns.

The Clinical Features and Outcomes of Four Neonates Born to Mothers with a Severe Form of COVID-19 and a Positive RT-PCR for SARS Co-V2 in Douala Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital in Cameroon

Background: A novel viral respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is responsible for a worldwide pandemic. The effects of this new disease in pregnant women and newborns are actually not well known. Methods: We investigated the clinical features and outcomes of four neonates born to mothers with a severe form of COVID-19 and a positive RT-PCR for SARS Co-V2 in Douala Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (Cameroon) from April 20 to June 5, 2020. Results: All four mothers were symptomatic and had a positive RT-PCR for SARS CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swab on admission. All of them delivered prematurely through cesarean section because of severe respiratory distress and one died shortly after delivery. The four premature male infants were born between 30 weeks and 35 weeks 2 days of gestation and had birth weights ranging from 1090 g to 2950 g. All infants had 1-minute Apgar scores that ranged from 7 to 8 and 5-minute Apgar scores varying between 8 and 9. They were isolated from their mothers immediately after birth and received formula feeding. Three of the four infants were tested using nasopharyngeal swab specimens for RT-PCR 24 to 48 hours after birth and were negative for COVID-19. All the infants were treated in a dedicated area at the neonatal care unit and presented with mild respiratory distress on admission with a Silverman score that varied between 2 and 4/10. During their hospitalization, all the infants also presented with jaundice and underwent phototherapy. Three of them had anemia with hemoglobin levels ranging from 105 to 123 g/L requiring for blood transfusion. The hospital stay varied between 3 and 48 days. Three infants were discharged healthy and one died. Conclusion: This case series suggests the possibility of poor maternal and neonatal outcomes in case of severe COVID-19 in mothers. It also suggests that severe COVID-19 in pregnant women may be a risk factor for prematurity for the newborns. It is crucial to screen pregnant women, to implement infection prevention, control measures and to provide close monitoring of neonates born to mothers with a severe form of COVID-19.