Aritra Guha1, Akash Rai1, Dipankar Gupta1, Rakesh Mondal2. 1. Department of Pediatrics, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. 2. Department of Pediatrics, North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. ivanrakesh2001@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: In India, girls are sex-selectively abandoned. The abandoned babies are brought to the nearest hospital under the jurisdiction of the administration. The authors aimed to study the demographic data and disease profile of those babies. METHODS: In this hospital-based, retrospective, descriptive study, authors studied all the abandoned babies who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics as "unknown" and cared for over the last 3 y. Their case records were analyzed with an appropriate statistical measure. RESULTS: Out of 11 babies, girl-boy ratio was 2.6:1, 73% being abandoned in the neonatal period with a survival rate of 91%. Six babies (54.5%) required emergency intervention at admission. Hospital stay was higher in girls with mean discharge time being 106 d, although the mean fit for discharge time was 6.5 d. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first of its kind on abandoned babies demographic data and disease profile, highlighting the burden of abandoned babies in the hospital.
OBJECTIVES: In India, girls are sex-selectively abandoned. The abandoned babies are brought to the nearest hospital under the jurisdiction of the administration. The authors aimed to study the demographic data and disease profile of those babies. METHODS: In this hospital-based, retrospective, descriptive study, authors studied all the abandoned babies who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics as "unknown" and cared for over the last 3 y. Their case records were analyzed with an appropriate statistical measure. RESULTS: Out of 11 babies, girl-boy ratio was 2.6:1, 73% being abandoned in the neonatal period with a survival rate of 91%. Six babies (54.5%) required emergency intervention at admission. Hospital stay was higher in girls with mean discharge time being 106 d, although the mean fit for discharge time was 6.5 d. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first of its kind on abandoned babies demographic data and disease profile, highlighting the burden of abandoned babies in the hospital.
Authors: Kathryn Whetten; Jan Ostermann; Rachel A Whetten; Brian W Pence; Karen O'Donnell; Lynne C Messer; Nathan M Thielman Journal: PLoS One Date: 2009-12-18 Impact factor: 3.240