Ambulatory Monitoring of Preterm Infant During Their First Year of Life at the Pediatric Deparment of Cocody Teaching Hospital.

: The prematurity remains in our developing countries a problem of current events. The deficiency in human resources and the low level of the technical equipment exposes premature babies to a high risk of morbidity and mortality in neonatal period. Those who survive need a closer follow-up after their discharge from hospital. Our objective through this study was to appreciate the quality of following-up premature babies in ambulatory. It was a longitudinal study with descriptive aim which took place from January, 2007 till December, 2008 in the paediatric service of the Teaching Hospital of Cocody. Our population was constituted by 100 premature babies selected in a random way. The premature babies had on average 31,7 weeks of gestationel age. The sex ratio was 0,96. The born weight was between 900 and 2550g. The main causes of prematurity were multiple pregnancies (18 %), malaria (15 %), premature break of membranes (12 %) and eclampsia (10 %). Most of premature babies were hospitalized for a problem of breeding ( 47 %.). The average number of consultation was 6,25. Only 25 children were effectively followed during 12 months with a middleweight of 9112g. The follow-up had been interrupted before 3 months of native age in 31 % of cases and before 3 months of real age in 52 % of cases. The mothers had preferred the feeding in 48 % of cases, but the curves of weight development were superposables whatever the type of food supply. The pathology during the follow-up was dominated by digestive disorders, respiratory infections and anaemia. Forty percent of the premature babies was able to have an haemoglobin test and 8 %, a neuroradiological scraeming. A third of the premature babies (30 %) had been hospitalized again for anaemia (10 %) and respiratory infections (10 %). We recorded 3 deaths. CONCLUSION: The follow-up of premature babies getting out of hospital remains difficult in our context of life. The mothers must be sensitived on the consequences of prematurity and the importance of their follow-up. This follow-up has to be the affair of all, as well parents, health workers that government.