TITLE:
Epidemiological Aspects of Stillbirth and Neonatal Deaths in the Delivery Room at the Libreville Mother-Child University Hospital from 2019 to 2022
AUTHORS:
Eliane Kuissi Kamgaing, Jacques Albert Bang Ntamack, Opheelia Makoyo Komba, Raïssa Koumba Maniaga, Steeve Minto’o Rogombe, Pascal Loulouga Badinga, Aude Lembet Mikolo, Simon Ategbo
KEYWORDS:
Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, Delivery Room, Epidemiology, Libreville-Gabon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
5,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Stillbirths are estimated at 2 million each year, of which more than
40% occur during labour. Our objective was to study the epidemiological aspects
of stillbirth and neonatal deaths in the delivery room in our health facility. Patients
and methods: Prospective, descriptive and analytical study, conducted at
the Jeanne Ebori Foundation Mother-Child University Hospital over 4 years
(January 2019-December 2022). All neonatal deaths in the delivery room or
foetal death in utero, were included. Results: Among the 18,346
deliveries performed, 512 newborns were declared dead in the delivery room
(27.9‰ live births), divided into in utero foetal death (19.0‰) and immediate neonatal death (8.9‰). The mean age was 34.3
weeks of amenorrhea. The rate of preterm birth was 60.4%. The sex ratio was
1.1. The average weight was 2186.6. The main causes were vascular (46.1%),
foetal (20.2%), adnexal (17.1%) and asphyxia per partum (16.6%). Foetal causes
were more likely to result in IUFD than other causes (OR = 6.4 [2.4 - 15.7], p
Conclusion: The causes of stillbirth and early neonatal mortality are
dominated by maternal vascular pathologies. However, the proportion of
childbirth-related causes remains worrying. Better monitoring of pregnancy and
labour will minimize this prevalence in our hospital.