EVALUATION OF ANTIBIOTICS PRESCRIBED AND DEATH RELATED TO AXPHYSIA IN NEONATESIntroduction: Birth asphyxia is defined as the condition of failure to start breathing or unable to keep breathing at birth or neonatal period. Very high death rate for neonates

Abstract

Introduction: Birth asphyxia is defined as the condition of failure to start breathing or unable to keep breathing at birth or neonatal period. Very high death rate for neonates has been observed due to birth asphyxia. Objectives: This study was conducted to document risk of death due to asphyxia and antibiotics prescribed in patients with.Study Design: Purposive observational study Place of Study: Hyderabad and Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. Duration of Study: January to December 2018. Methodology: Purposive observational study was conducted over period of 1 year from January to December 2018 in pediatric wards or neonatal intensive care unit of teaching hospital of Hyderabad and Jamshoro, Pakistan. Data was collected from 274 patients and was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (Version 22.0). Results: Out of 274 patients, 180 patients were male (65.6%) and majority were from urban areas (67.8%). Age group which was most prone to asphyxia was newborn (65.1%) whereas least affected age was 15 days to 30 days (5.1%). Among the subjects 25.3% died due to asphyxia with death majorly occurring in newborns (47.7%) while 63.2% patients survived. In 23.4% cases patients were prescribed ceftriaxone whereas in combination antibiotic therapy 63.7% patients were prescribed with cefotaxime+gentamycin however in 96 patients, these antibiotics were changed due to ineffectiveness or no response of the previous antibiotics.Conclusion: Findings of this study concludes that major mortality age group is newborn as this is vulnerable age in neonates and use of antibiotics was also very high at such an early stage of life which may be develop alarming issues as resistance in later stages of life. KEY WORDS: Asphyxia, Death, Neonates. Antibiotics