Incidence and Risk Factors of Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Premature Infants at King Faisal Military Hospital, Southern Region: A Retrospective Review.

Background Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a serious complication in preterm neonates. IVH risk factors include neonatal anemia, use of inotrope and hydrocortisone, and pulmonary hemorrhage. This study was conducted in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia to assess IVH epidemiology in small and premature infants. Method This study is a systematic two-year retrospective examination of a cohort of preterm infants born in King Faisal Military Hospital in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia. A hierarchical multiple logistic regression modeling of data was adopted to evaluate the impact of potential risk factors. Results The study included 133 medical records, with an IVH incidence of 21.8% (n = 29). Most IVH cases were grade II (34.5%). The risk of IVH was higher with increasing birth weight (odds ratio (OR) = 63.2, p = 0.019), use of acidosis medications (OR = 15.8), and thrombocytopenia (OR = 24.2, p = 0.000024). In contrast, a decrease in gestational age (GA) was associated with a higher risk of IVH (OR = 0.85, p = 0.000085). A statistically significant association was found between birth weight and small for gestational age (SGA) status (p = 0.0374). Among non-SGA infants, higher birth weight increased IVH risk, whereas higher birth weight in SGA infants reduced IVH risk. Conclusion IVH incidence is still high in Saudi Arabia among preterm newborn infants despite advances in the healthcare system. This study identified birth weight, use of acidosis medications, and thrombocytopenia as significant risk factors.