Determinants of mechanical birth trauma among live born neonates admitted at University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital neonatal intensive care unit, northwest Ethiopia: A case-control study

Background: The occurrence of birth trauma varies according to the fetal factors, labour and delivery processes and maternal factors. However, there is limited data on the possible factors associated with neonatal birth trauma in our setup. This study aimed to identify the associated factors of birth trauma among live-born neonates in the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UoGCSH)  Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Method: An unmatched case-control study was conducted among live-born neonates admitted neonatal  intensive care unit of UoGCSH over a year from February 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021 G.C. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 20.  Descriptive statistics and adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval and a p-value of <0.05 was used to identify  determinant factors. Result: A total of 300 neonates were included with 1:2 ratio of case and controls. The determinant factors of  mechanical birth trauma were head circumference (AOR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.46), instrumental delivery (AOR=10.65, 95%CI: 2.83, 40.04),  malpresentation (AOR=6.31, 95%CI: 1.01, 40.08) and prolonged labour (AOR=1.45, 95%CI: 2.04, 4.49). Conclusion: Instrumental delivery,  malpresentation, >37cm head circumference, and prolonged duration of labour had statistically a significant association with mechanical  birth trauma.