title: Outcome of neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy admitted to the neonatal unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the outcome of neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of all cases of HIE admitted to the neonatal unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies during the 6-year period 1998 to 2003 was conducted. Descriptive analyses were performed; differences in neonates by Sarnat staging were determined using analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-five term neonates fulfilled criteria for recruitment to the study, 55 (58%) of whom were males. Eighty-six were inborn, giving an incidence of 6/1000 live births with HIE during the study period. There was a 12% mortality rate and all non-survivors had stage 3 encephalopathy. Infants with stage 3 encephalopathy had increased neurological deficits and more severe end organ damage than infants with stage 2 or stage 1 encephalopathy (p<0.05). Only 34 (40%) of the survivors were still attending follow-up clinic at 1 year of age. At this age, all infants with stage 2 and stage 3 encephalopathy had significantly smaller head circumferences than those with stage 1 encephalopathy (p<0.05). A significantly higher proportion (78%) of infants with stage 3 encephalopathy did not achieve milestones appropriately compared with infants with stage 2 (35%) and stage 1 encephalopathy amongst whom none had delayed milestones (p=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of HIE was 6/1000 live births and HIE was associated with significant morbidity and mortality in infants with severe encephalopathy.
authors: Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Child Health, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Garbutt
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Trotman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001724:Birth Weight; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D003243:Consciousness; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult