Neonatal Sepsis and Associated Factors Among Neonates Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in General Hospitals, Eastern Ethiopia 2020.

Introduction: Globally, the major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity is neonatal sepsis, which is defined as a clinical course marked by systemic inflammation in the presence of infection in a newborn. There are limited data concerning neonatal sepsis in eastern Ethiopia. As a result, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of neonatal sepsis and associated factors among neonates admitted to intensive care units at general hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study with retrospective document review was conducted among newborns hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units. Using simple random sampling, the charts of 356 newborns who were hospitalized between January and December 2019 were included, and data were collected using a pretested checklist. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 22.

Results: The overall prevalence of neonatal sepsis was 45.8% (95% CI 40.7, 51.4). Prolonged rupture of the membrane (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI: [1.27-4.45]), vaginal delivery (AOR = 1.78, 95%, CI: [1.09, 2.96]) APGAR score <7 (AOR = 4.55, 95% CI: [2.49-8.29]), prelacteal feeding (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI: [1.68-8.23]), and mechanical ventilation (AOR = 4.97,95%CI: [2.78-8.89]) were predictors associated with neonatal sepsis.

Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of neonatal sepsis was high, and factors associated with neonatal sepsis included prolonged rupture of membrane, mode of delivery, low APGAR score, prelacteal feeding and mechanical ventilation. As a result, maternal and neonatal care should be enhanced to lower the risk of neonatal sepsis.