Clinical features of birth asphyxia in 137 early neonatal deaths
| Features of asphyxia | Full term | Preterm |
|---|---|---|
| All infants had a five minute Apgar score. Only 12 full term infants and 11 preterm infants had cord pH measured. An additional 22 full term infants and 35 preterm infants had the pH measured on arrival in the local neonatal unit. 16 full term infants at 12 hours of age were not paralysed, and 14 of these had features of an encephalopathy. 19 preterm infants remained alive and non-paralysed at 12 hours; six had an encephalopathy. | ||
| NNE, Neonatal encephalopathy. | ||
| Total number of infants | 38 | 99 |
| Single feature only | ||
| Apgar ⩽ 5 at 5 min | 9 | 35 |
| Cord pH < 7.1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1st pH < 7.1 | 1 | 8 |
| NNE | 1 | 0 |
| Two features | ||
| Low Apgar and low pH | 7 | 9 |
| Low Apgar and NNE | 2 | 1 |
| Low pH and NNE | 0 | 1 |
| Three features | ||
| Low pH, low Apgar, and NNE | 11 | 4 |
| Total with some indication of asphyxia | 31 (82%) | 59 (60%) |