Neonatal Clinic of Dicle University between 2007-2010 retrospective evaluation of neonates asphyxiating tagged with

İnspite of the recent diagnostic and therapeutic advances; perinatal asphyxia is one ofthe leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity even in devoloped countries. In thisstudy newborns with perinatal asphyxia who were hospitalized in our neonatolgy unit wereevaluated to determine antenatal, natal and postnatal risk factors, HİE staging according toSarnat&Sarnat classification , presence of convulsion and mortality rates, and the changes among these parameters through 4 years from 2007-2010.İn this study; from January 2007 to December 2010 (in a period of 4 years ) ; 210newborns with perinatal asphyxia were evaluated retrospectively among 2152 patıentshospitalized in Dicle University Medicine Faculty Neonatology Department. Perinatalasphyxia frequency was found to be 9.7 % . Of the 210 patients 108 were female (51.4%) and 102 were male (48.6 %). Acording to Sarnat&Sarnat staging; 90 neonates (42.9%) were in stage I, 63 neonates (%30) in Stage II and 58 neonates (%27.1) in stage III. The number of patients who died during neonatal period were 91 (43.3%). Among the all patients; fourty seven (22.3 %) neonates had convulsions. When we compared the patients who had convulsions; 9 patients (10%) were Stage I ,22 patients (34.9%) were stage II and 16 patients (28.1%) were stage III. İn stage II and stage III convulsion rate was higher and that was statistical very significant (p<0.001) The average first and fifth minute Apgar score were 2.98±0.152 and5.3±0.162 in Stage I, 2.65±0.118 and 4.82±0.122 in Stage II; 2.57 ±0.165and4.69 ±0.220 in Stage III.When we look at the patient distrubution between years; 59 patients (28.1%) werehospitalized in 2007, 56 patients (26.7%) were hospitalized in 2008, 51 patients (24.3%) werehospitalized in 2009 and 44 patients (21%) were hospitalized in 2010. When we compared therates among the patients ; we observed that the patient number in 2009 and 2010 were less.There was a statistically significant relation regarding distribution of stages in 4 years of time. İn our study the less patient number was found in 2010 (12.3%). After 2009 this decrease was obvious and that was statistically significant (p <0.05). We taught that; this circumstance depend on better Health care services in our region.Although perinatal asphyxia incidence decreased in recent years due to perinatalsupport, education of hospital stuff, optimal neonatal resuscitation efforts and standardizationof technical features of Neonatal Units, mortality in advanced stages still remain high.Keeping in mind that the most beneficial treatment of perinatal asphyxia is to avoid theoccurance of asphyxia, identification of high risk pregnancies, establishment of optimumdelivery conditions, optimal resuscitation efforts and good medical care after delivery wouldhelp to decrease perinatal asphyxia mortality and morbidity.Key words: perinatal asphyxia, incidence, mortality