Risk Factors for Death Among Preterm Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome at Lampang Hospital

Abstract

Perinatal mortality is still a major health problem in Thailand; and one of the most common causes is respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Knowledge on the risk factors of RDS can be helpful in identifying approaches to prevent and reduce the mortality. The objective of this study was to assess the RDS risk factors in premature infants. It was conducted as a retrospective cohort study in premature infants with RDS in Lampang Hospital, northern Thailand, from October 2012 to September 2015. The variables in the study included general socio-economic factors, antepartum factors, intra-partum factors, and fetal factors. Data were collected from the medical records; and were analyzed by using t-test, exact probability test, odds ratio, and multiple logistics regression analysis. It was found that the main factor associated with RDS was infant weight less than 1,000 g (OR 13.14., 95%CI=1.01 - 170.25), and the use of surfactant therapy (OR 0.11, 95%CI=0.02-0.45) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (OR 0.22, 95%CI 0.06-0.82) could reduce the RDS risks in the infants.