title: Determinants of mortality of preterm babies in the university of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin Nigeria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A prospective study to identify the determinants of mortality among 185 preterm babies at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on 185 preterm babies and their mothers were collected over a nine month period in a tertiary hospital to identify the determinants of mortality among these babies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factors identified as significant determinants of mortality were severe perinatal asphyxia (p = 0.000; OR = 71.31; 95% CI = 17.63-308.24), apnoea (p = 0.000; OR = 178.20; 95% CI = 20.64-7709.02), necrotizing entero-colitis (p = 0.001) and resuscitation duration (p = 0.003; OR = 5.33; 95% CI = 1.62-19.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary causes of death are severe perinatal asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome and infection. In Nigeria, survival below 28 weeks gestation is less than 20%. The findings in this study highlight the need for prompt and effective resuscitation of these infants by a trained health worker with verifiable competence in newborn resuscitation. It also highlights the need for availability of functional facilities like ventilators and resources like surfactant.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University Of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. mbskt@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Suleiman
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Mokuolu
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Adesiyun
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adeniyi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult