[Early neonatal presentation to the pediatric emergency department, Brazzaville (Congo)].

Objectives: To identify and analyze factors influencing the readmission of newborns to the paediatric emergency unit of university hospital of Brazzaville after their stay in maternity.

Material And Methods: A prospective survey was conducted in newborns discharged from maternity for household, excluding infants delivered by caesarean section.

Results: A total of 458 (6.3%) newborns were recruited among 7233 children admitted in the paediatric emergency unit. The visits took place between 8 am-1 pm (51.7%), 14 pm-19 pm (31.7%) and 20 pm-7 am (16.4%). Visit motives were cough, fever, digestive signs, and malformations. Main causes of hospitalization were severe sepsis (21.8%), bronchopulmonary infections (23.0%), isolated fever (12.6%), malformations (5.3%). Low bith weight newborns and newborns with shorter length of stay at maternity (less than 24 h) were most often hospitalized than infants with normal weight (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Increased length of hospitalization in maternity, systematic medical examination of newborn in maternity, better information of mothers on breastfeeding, and improved health care should contribute to decrease the rehospitalization rate during the first month of life.