Risk Factors for Germinal Matrix Haemorrhage-Intraventricular Haemorrhage in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Germinal matrix hemorrhage-intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH-IVH) mainly occurs in preterm neonates and is an important cause of brain injury in them. In this retrospective cross-sectional study from march 2017 to march 2018 in our teaching hospitals, we investigated 250 newborns who were admitted to NICU with a birth weight under 1500 grams with ultrasonographic study for presence and grade of GMH-IVH in their first week of life. Risk factors for GMH-IVH were collected from their records and results been analyzed with SPSS software. From 250 neonates who had inclusion criteria of the study, 22 cases had GMH-IVH in ultrasonographic evaluation. 37.6% of all cases and 31.8% of newborns with GMH-IVH had a 5-minute APGAR score of less than six. 91 cases (39.9%) of the control group and 15 cases (68.1%) of the GMH-IVH group need resuscitation at birth. Of 250 cases 54 (21.6%) died, that 14 cases (63.6%) had GMH-IVH. Our study shows significant differences for birth weight, 5 minute APGAR score, and the need for resuscitation at birth as risk factors for the development of GMH-IVH in very low birth weight neonates, but we do not find a significant difference group in terms of gestational age, gender, route of delivery, fetal presentation, maternal parity, CBC parameters, sepsis, RDS, endotracheal tube suctioning and multiple pregnancies for them. In our study, the protective value for antenatal steroid therapy depends on the completion of the course of treatment for mothers.