Care for Low-Birth-Weight Newborns in the Reference Hospitals of the City of Kara in 2023

Introduction: Low birth weight is a public health problem due to its prevalence and the resulting neonatal consequences. Objective: Evaluate the management of low birth weights in the three hospital centres in the town of Kara. Methodology: This was a retrospective, transversal and descriptive study based on documentary analysis. Results: Among these newborns, 91% were premature and 09% were hypotrophic. At admission, 47% of FPNs were in good clinical condition, while 983 were in fair clinical condition, and 4,7 were in poor clinical condition. The main complications observed were neonatal infection (75%), neonatal jaundice (52%), and respiratory distress (97%). Breastfeeding (93%) and KMC (70.94%) were the primary preventive care methods. The outcome was favorable in 54, 27% of cases, but lethal in 36, 61% after an average hospital stay of 6 days. The weight gain at discharge was 59, 52 g/kg of body weight. More than half of the hypotrophs had a weight gain greater than 15 g/kg/day. Conclusion: The prevalence of LBW remains high and linked to modifiable factors. It is crucial to continue to strengthen the capacities of health centres, improve mothers’ education, and standardize care protocols.