Risk Factors of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Very Low-Birth-Weight Neonates Under Optimized Oxygen Therapy

Aim: To assess the risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) neonates managed under optimized oxygen therapy Materials and Methods: The case records of all inborn VLBW neonates admitted between January and October 2019 were analyzed. The stages of ROP were determined based on the International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity. Fractional oxygen supplementation was optimized by target-ing pulse oximetry saturation from the delivery room till hospital discharge. The risk factors of ROP were determined using uni-variate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Among the 85 VLBW neonates enrolled in the study, 29 (34.12%) neonates were diagnosed with any stage of ROP, and 3 (3.52 %) neonates had severe ROP. Low gestational age (≤ 28 wk) (OR = 21.0; 95% CI: 4.01–110.05), extremely low birth weight (ELBW; OR = 7.19; 95% CI: 2.15–23.97), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; OR = 10.13; 95% CI: 3.32–30.89), delayed full feeding (OR = 4.97; 95% CI: 1.18–20.84), packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion (OR = 8.59; 95% CI: 3.04–24.20), and hypothyroxinemia (OR = 11.45; 95% CI: 1.26–103.4) were the predisposing factors of ROP in uni-variate analysis. Presence of hypothyroxinemia was an inde-pendent predictor of ROP in multivariate analysis (P =.03). Conclusion: Low gestational age (≤ 28 wk), ELBW, RDS, delayed full feeding, PRBC transfusion, and hypothyroxinemia were found to be the risk factors of ROP.