Modelling mortality within 28 days among preterm infants at a tertiary hospital in Lusaka, Zambia: a retrospective review of hospital-based records.

Introduction globally, almost half of all deaths in children under five years of age occur among neonates. We investigated the predictors of mortality within 28 days among preterm infants at a tertiary hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods we reviewed admission records linked to birth, mortality, and hospital discharge from 1st January 2018 to 30th September 2019. Information was retrieved with a follow-up period of 28 days post-delivery to discharge/mortality. We used the Weibull hazards regression to establish the best predictor model for mortality among the neonates. Results a total of 3237 case records of women with a median age of 27 years (IQR, 22-33) were included in the study, of which 971 (30%) delivered term infants and 2267 (70%) preterm infants. The overall median survival time of the infants was 98 hours (IQR, 34-360). Preterm birth was not associated with increased hazards of mortality compared to term birth (p=0.078). Being in the Kangaroo Mother Care compared to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and a unit increase in birth weight were independently associated with reduced hazards of mortality. On the other hand, having hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, experiencing difficulty in feeding and vaginal delivery compared to caesarean section independently increased the hazards of mortality. Conclusion having hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, vaginal delivery, and experiencing difficulty in feeding increases the risk of mortality among neonates. Interventions to reduce neonatal mortality should be directed on these factors in this setting.