Background: Respiratory distress is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and NICU admission. Timely recognition and accurate diagnosis are crucial for optimizing outcomes. Methods:Aprospective observational study was conducted on 100 neonates admitted with respiratory distress to the NICU of CPR Hospital, Kolhapur, between June 2024 and December 2024. The Silverman-Anderson score was used to grade severity. Results: The most common clinical sign was tachypnea (98%). Hyaline membrane disease (25%), birth asphyxia (24%), and neonatal sepsis/pneumonia (23%) were the leading causes. The overall mortality rate was 22%. Mortality was highest in hyaline membrane disease (36%) and lowest in transient tachypnea of the newborn (0%). Ahighly significant association (p<0.001) was found between severity scores and outcome: no deaths occurred in the mild group (0%), 9.7% mortality in the moderate group, and 48.5% mortality in the severe group. Conclusions: Hyaline membrane disease, birth asphyxia, and sepsis are the most common causes of respiratory distress, with severity directly correlating with mortality. Early recognition and intervention are essential.
Sushant More (Mon,) studied this question.