Neonatal multiple organ failure after perinatal asphyxia

Perinatal asphyxia is an event with far-reaching consequences that can lead not only to the development of neonatal encephalopathy, but also to multiple organ failure (MOF). This ailment may result from the redistribution of blood flow, which would preserve the perfusion of vital organs such as the heart, brain and adrenal glands at the expense of other organs. The objective of the study was to determine the incidence and aetiopathogenesis of failure in the organs most frequently involved in neonatal MOF following perinatal asphyxia. We conducted a systematic literature search in the PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases using the MeSH terms (ischemia AND hypoxia AND multiorgan dysfunction AND neonat*), (asphyxia AND multiorgan dysfunction AND neonat*) and (liver/kidney/digestive OR gastrointestinal/heart injury AND ischemia AND hypoxia AND neonat*). We selected clinical and preclinical studies published after 2000 and excluded case series, letters to the editor, cohort studies without comparison groups and abstracts. In this study, we found that MOF associated with perinatal asphyxia is a frequent phenomenon with a relevant impact on neonatal morbidity and mortality, as it can cause changes not only in the kidney, liver and gastrointestinal tract, but also cardiomyopathy if the ailment is protracted or severe.