One of the leading causes of preterm infant mortality is perinatal asphyxia. The Urinary Uric Acid / Cr (UUA/Cr) ratio has been found in some studies to be a useful supplementary marker for neonatal hypoxia. This study was to see a link between this ratio and the outcomes of preterm newborns admitted to the NICU. This case-control study involved 102 preterm newborn infants admitted to the neonatal critical care unit with gestational ages ranging from 30 weeks to 33 weeks and 6 days. A case group of 51 premature neonates with a history of intubation, cardiac resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) at birth was compared to a control group of 51 matching neonates. In the first 24 hours following birth, they determined the UUA/Cr ratio. They assessed the severity of complications during hospitalization, the length of stay, and the final result.
The mean UUA/Cr ratio in the case and control groups was 5.4±4.1 and 3.69±2.9, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p=0.014). Females, cesarean section deliveries, Apgar scores less than or equal to 8, infants without complications, and neonates admitted for less than 10 days had significantly higher UUA/Cr ratios. However, for infants in the case group, this ratio had no predictive value for the occurrence of problems during hospitalization or long-term hospitalization. Preterm neonates who received intubation, NCPAP, or cardiac resuscitation had a higher Urinary Uric Acid / Cr ratio in the first 24 hours after birth than healthy neonates.
Reference:bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-021-02798-7
