A Review of Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants Admitted to the Kangaroo Mother Care Unit in Johannesburg, South Africa

Background Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a widely implemented intervention developed as an alternative form of care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for neonates. The implementation of KMC has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs). Aim To describe the maternal and neonatal characteristics and clinical outcomes in VLBWIs who received KMC at a tertiary hospital. Methods This is a retrospective descriptive study of 981 VLBWIs admitted at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) over a six-year period (January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019). Results The mean gestational age of infants admitted to the unit was 29.6 weeks (standard deviation (SD): 2.4), with a mean birth weight of 1185 g (SD: 205.6). The average duration of admission in the neonatal unit was 37 days. The mean rate of weight gain was 37.6 g/kg/day (SD: 57.6). The majority of infants were breastfed (61.4%). In our study, the prevalences of the complications of prematurity were as follows: respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), 84.2%; late-onset sepsis (LOS), 26.1%; and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), 10.6%. The mortality rate was 3.1%. Maternal comorbidities include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (26.4%), syphilis (2.9%) and gestational hypertension (33.7%). The antenatal clinic attendance rate was good (84.7%). Conclusion KMC is a cost-effective alternative to conventional care for VLBWIs in limited-resource countries, with evidence of increased weight gain, less rates of complications of prematurity and low overall mortality. The provision of KMC facilities is urgently required in LMICs.