Gastroschisis remains associated with an adverse outcome in developing countries and the factors associated with neonatal death are not known. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with neonatal death in cases of gastroschisis managed in a tertiary hospital in Brazil. It was included 49 cases of gastroschisis managed at IMIP, Recife - Brazil, between 1995 and 2001. The dependent variable was neonatal death and the independent variables were: prenatal diagnosis, route and site of delivery, gestational age, birthweight, birth-to-admission interval, birth-to-surgery interval, primary or staged-silo repair, need of mechanical ventilation and postoperative infection. Prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% confidence interval of neonatal death was determined. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine adjusted relative risk of neonatal death. Overall mortality was 53% (26 cases) and infection was the main cause of death (92%). Prenatal diagnosis was associated with significant reduction of 74% in the risk of death. This risk was significantly increased ( > twice) among newborns with gestational age below 37 weeks, birthweight below 2.5Kg and outborn babies. A significantly greater risk of neonatal death was observed for birth-to-admission interval of 2h or more and birth-to-surgery interval of 4h or more (2.5 and 3.4 times, respectively). Need of mechanical ventilation was associated with an increased risk of death (2.6 times). In multivariate analysis, variables that persisted strongly associated to neonatal death were gestational age below 37 weeks and birth-to-surgery interval greater than 4h. A high mortality was observed among babies of gastroschisis which is explained by factors like absence of prenatal diagnosis, prematurity, low birthweight, delivery outside the tertiary center, longer birth-to-surgery intervals and need of mechanical ventilation.
Gastroschisis; Neonatal death; Risk factors; Abdominal wall defects; Prognosis
