Vital distress of newborn in the delivery room at CHU-YO in ouagadougou: Importance of neonatal resuscitation

Introduction Ectopic vital distress is often not anticipated in developing countries, thus worsening neonatal mortality. The aim of our study was to report the incidence of distresses, to describe the aspects of its management and its evolution in the short term. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in the gynecology and obstetrics department at CHU-YO in Ouagadougou from 15 April to 15 June 2015. Newborns with Apgar score less than 6 at 1 minute of life were included. Sociodemographic characteristics of mothers and etiologies were described. Vital signs, drugs used and evolution were noted. Technical equipment and caregivers’ qualifications were reported. Results: Eighty-three newborns out of 1266 live births had vital distress (6, 55%). The average age of mothers was 25, 48 years. The duration of labour exceeded 12 hours in 41 cases (49, 40%) and mothers had a cesarean section in 59 cases (71, 10%). All staff (100%) in charge of newborns were midwives. Suction cup was performed in 69 cases (83, 1%). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 16 newborns (19, 3%). We recorded 19 deaths (22, 90%). Conclusion: The frequency of distress at birth is high in the delivery room at the maternity in CHU-YO. Technical monitoring is inadequate. Reanimation resulted in survival in 65 cases (78, 30%) in the first ten minutes.