Evaluation of physical growth and neurodevelopmental outcome of low birth weight NICU graduates at one year of age in a south india teaching hospital.

Dr. Arigela Vasundhara; Dr . Manas Ranjan Sahoo; Dr Bharadwaj Bunga

Volume : V, Issue : XI, November - 2016

Evaluation of physical growth and neurodevelopmental outcome of low birth weight NICU graduates at one year of age in a south india teaching hospital.

Dr. Arigela Vasundhara, Dr . Manas Ranjan Sahoo, Dr Bharadwaj Bunga

Abstract :

The neonatology has improved a lot in last century and it is now becoming synonymous with care of low birth weight babies. Several studies have reported high incidence of growth failure and poor neurological function outcome during infancy and childhood of these low birth weight babies[1]. Aims and objective of the study: To assess the physical growth and neurodevelopment of low birth weight babies admitted to NICU during December 2014 to July 2015 at 1 year of age and to study the factors influencing the physical growth and neurodevelopmental outcome in these babies. Method:?e present study was a prospective hospital based study involving all low birth weight babies who were admitted to NICU of ASRAM hospital, a tertiary care center, Eluru, West Godawari District, Andhra Pradesh during the study period. Observation:Out of 59 NICU graduates weighing less than 2500 grams at birth were enrolled in this study. Among them 23.7% were ELBW, 47.5% were VLBW and 28.8% were LBW babies with birth weight >1500 grams. : All babies weight and length at one year of age was <50th percentile and around 30% of LBW babies had <5thpercentile weight and length at one year of age. When neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed under various domains, the most common impairment found was language delay (23.7%) followed by vision impairment (32.2%). ?e least effected domain is social and adaptive development. Conclusion :?ough intensive care has improved survival of LBW babies,physical growth as well as neurodevelopmental growth lags behind in rd almost 1/3 cases.