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Background: Respiratory distress syndrome, also known as hyaline membrane disease, is the
most common respiratory disease in premature babies and the major cause of morbidity and
mortality in preterm babies < 37 weeks of gestation. To effectively treat these babies, exogenous
surfactant and/or mechanical ventilation is needed which is a limitation in developing countries.
However a cheaper, simpler and more accessible treatment for babies with RDS called bCPAP
has been found to be effective in treating premature babies with RDS in developed countries but
there are few studies done in low and middle income countries to show its effectiveness.
Aim: To determine the impact of bCPAP in the reduction of mortality and morbidity in
premature babies presenting with RDS at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center.
Method: This will be a non-randomized clinical trial, which will be conducted from September
2016 to May 2017 in the neonatal care unit of the Paediatrics department at KCMC. All
premature babies admitted at the neonatal care unit, presenting with signs of RDS and meeting
the inclusion criteria will be enrolled in the study after an informed consent form is signed. An
interview will be conducted to gather information from the mothers or guardians followed by
clinical assessment of the babies. Thereafter a baby will be put on a bCPAP machine when
available and the other on oxygen therapy which will be the control group. The two groups will
be assessed thrice daily monitoring their vitals and progress on treatment. Babies will then be
weaned off oxygen and bCPAP when RDS signs resolve and close monitoring will continue until
discharge.
Significance: There is still a high neonatal mortality rate especially amongst the preterm babies
in Asia and Sub-Saharan African which is primarily caused by RDS. We are still using oxygen
therapy to treat these babies instead of bCPAP which has been shown to have benefit in survival
of preterm babies with RDS.This study will help introduce bCPAP to our setting and determine
its efficacy in the survival of preterm babies with RDS in a resource limited center |
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