Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in apparently low risk pregnancies: retrospective analysis of the last five years at the University of Bologna.
OBJECTIVE
To provide recent figures on the occurrence of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (NHIE) from a Teaching Hospital.


METHODS
A retrospective case-control study was conducted in a tertiary level university hospital with more than 3000 deliveries annually. Twenty-four cases of NHIE that occurred in apparently low-risk pregnancies were analysed and compared to a group of controls for the most common labor variables. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.


RESULTS
Of 15,371 apparently low-risk deliveries, 24 cases of NHIE were observed (0.16%), with perinatal death or cerebral palsy occurring in nine of these cases (0.06%). The following intra-partum variables were significantly more common in cases than in controls: stained amniotic fluid (OR: 7.50; 95% CI:1.77-31.79), maternal fever (none in the control group), abnormal CTG (OR: 253.0; 95% CI: 26.70-2397), persistent occiput posterior (OR: 15.67; 95% CI: 2.25-104.53) and operative delivery (OR: 3.98; 95% CI: 1.39-11.33).


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of NHIE is considerably low in a Tertiary care Centre.
Ghi
Tullio
T
Department of Obstetric, Policlinico S.Orsola-Malpighi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. tullioghi@yahoo.com
Giunchi
Susanna
S
Pilu
Gianluigi
G
Youssef
Aly
A
Morselli-Labate
Antonio Maria
AM
Arcangeli
Tiziana
T
Meriggiola
Maria Cristina
MC
Pelusi
Carla
C
Ancora
Gina
G
Cocchi
Guido
G
Faldella
Giacomo
G
Pelusi
Giuseppe
G
D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000151:congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk