title: Characteristics and mortality of neonates in an emergency obstetric and neonatal care facility, rural Burundi.
abstract: METHODS
  A Médecins Sans Frontières emergency obstetric and neonatal care facility specialising as a referral centre for three districts for women with complications during pregnancy or delivery in rural Burundi.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics and in-facility mortality rates of neonates born in 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study involving a retrospective review of routinely collected facility data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 2285 women who delivered, the main complications were prolonged labour 331 (14%), arrested labour 238 (10%), previous uterine intervention 203 (9%), breech 171 (8%) and multiple gestations 150 (7%). There were 175 stillbirths and 2110 live neonates, of whom 515 (24%) were of low birth weight, 963 (46%) were delivered through caesarean section and 267 (13%) required active birth resuscitation. Overall, there were 102 (5%) neonatal deaths. A total of 453 (21%) neonates were admitted to dedicated neonatal special services for sick and low birth weight babies. A high proportion of these neonates were delivered by caesarean section and needed active birth resuscitation. Of 67 (15%) neonatal deaths in special services, 85% were due to conditions linked to low birth weight and birth asphyxia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among neonates born to women with complications during pregnancy or delivery, in-facility deaths due to low birth weight and birth asphyxia were considerable. Sustained attention is needed to reduce these mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zuniga
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van den Bergh
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Bujumbura, Burundi.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ndelema
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bulckaert
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manzi
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zachariah
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Harries
keywords: district; mortality; neonatology; operational research; sub-Saharan Africa