Magnitude and associated factors of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates admitted to low resource settings: a cross-sectional study

Background: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is one of the medical issues that preterm infants are susceptible to as a result of their difficulty adjusting to life outside the womb. It is bleeding into the ventricular system from the germinal matrix, a highly cellular and vascular tissue that is only seen in preterm newborns and ruptures easily. The study aims to assess the magnitude and associated factors of IVH in preterm neonates. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital (TGSH) from 14 March 2022 to 15 August 2022. The neonatal referral form, the mother’s medical file, an in-person interview with the mother, and bedside cranial sonography were used to collect clinical data. After data were entered into Epi Info and exported to Scientific Program for Social Science (SPSS), analysis was carried out using binary and multivariable logistic regression. Results: The overall magnitude of IVH in preterm newborns among preterm neonates admitted to TGSH was 53 (27.04%) (95% CI: 20.9–32.2%). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, a birth weight of between 1500 and 2000 g (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18–0.79) were negative, and those neonates with gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.04–4.41) were positively associated with the occurrence of IVH. Conclusion: The study discovered that the magnitude of IVH is slightly higher than that of prior studies done in different parts of the world, and those neonates delivered at early gestational ages and those with very low birth weight have a higher incidence of IVH. Both guardians and health providers should give more attention to those neonates born at an early gestational age and with small birth weight.