Risk Factors and Outcomes of Meconium Stained Liquor Babies in Tertiary Care Neonatal Unit

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine the variables affecting the mother and the baby when amniotic fluid is tainted with meconium during pregnancy. Study design and setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted at PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi, from July 15th, 2023, to December 30th, 2023. Methodology: It involved non-probability consecutive sampling of patients with a gestational age over 37 weeks who presented with meconium-stained liquor during labor. Newborns with congenital defects were excluded, resulting in a study sample size where basic demographic and clinical data were collected. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26, with continuous variables expressed as mean ± SD and categorical variables in frequency and percentages. Results: Meconium stained amniotic fluid (MASF) was seen in 60 (4.8%) of the 1232 births that occurred during the research period. Meconium aspiration syndrome affected 22 of 60 (36 %) newborns with MSAF. There was a substantial correlation between thick meconium stained liquor and a low Apgar score, an unsettling CTG, MAS, or the need for an emergency C-section. A total of 41 newborns (68% of the total) were diagnosed with thin meconium, although only 85% of those infants showed no symptoms. Important risk variables for MAS were PIH, anemia and GDM (P 0.002, 0.002, <0.0001 respectively), and parity was related in a significant manner Conclusion: Low Apgar scores, higher rates of emergency caesarean sections, and meconium aspiration syndrome were all linked to meconium-stained amniotic fluid. Risk factors for MAS included maternal anemia, hypertension, and gestational diabetes.