Profile of Perinatal Deaths at Masaka District Hospital in Kigali City, Rwanda: A Retrospective Cross Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: The global perinatal deaths and stillbirths in 2018 was alarming, with around 5 million perinatal deaths and 2 million stillbirths, predominantly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (95%).

Objective: To assess the profile and factors associated with perinatal deaths among deliveries conducted in a public district hospital in Kigali City, Rwanda.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was conducted using data from hospital files of neonates and mothers who delivered at Masaka District Hospital from January to December 2022. All 303 perinatal deaths were considered. Chi-square was performed for categorical variables to check the association between the outcome variable and predictor variable at significance level of 5%.

Results: The perinatal mortality rate was 35.8 deaths per 1000 live births. The leading cause of perinatal death were maternal sepsis 67(22%), followed by prematurity 62(20.5%), birth asphyxia 30(9.9%) and congenital anomalies 17(5.6%). However, 88(29%) were with unknown causes. Perinatal deaths were statistically associated with maternal anemia (AOR: 29.904, P-value: 0.001), maternal STIs (AOR: 10.036, P-value: 0.036), delivery complications (AOR: 0.308, P-value: 0.003), and neonatal factors such as birth weight (AOR: 6.361, P-value: 0.015) and prematurity (AOR: 0.038, P-value: 0.001).

Conclusion: The perinatal deaths at Masaka district hospital were relatively high. Management of following factors like prematurity, birth asphyxia, and maternal infection with high-quality care could significantly reduce perinatal deaths at district level.