Demographic, clinical profile and short-term outcome of neonates referred for mechanical ventilation: experience in a referral neonatal intensive care centre in Southern Nigeria

Background: The use of mechanical ventilation (MV) in NICU is not widespread in Nigeria. Although a life-saving tool in neonates, MV is associated with potentially high morbidity and mortality rate. There are various factors which impact the outcome of MV in neonates. The aim of this study is to assess outcome, demographics and clinical profile of babies who received MV in the region. Methods: This was a retrospective study, involving 20 infants, who were all referred from other Health care centres. Results: The overall survival rate of ventilated babies in this study was 30.0%; however, relative survival rate compared to non-survival group was 53.8%. Although, the mean weight and mean gestational age (GA) of those who survived were higher than that in those who did not survive, this difference was not statistically significant. However, a significantly higher proportion (87.3%) of those who were ventilated for 1-3 days survived, compared to those ventilated for less than 24 hours or more than 3 days. Conclusions: The survival of neonates referred for MV in our study was comparable to that seen in other developing countries. Duration of MV (DMV) was the only significant factor affecting the outcome of MV in our study.