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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Annual audit of neonatal morbidity in preterm infants
1Mersey Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Liverpool Maternity Hospital.
Insights
Trends in neonatal morbidities for preterm infants show unchanged risks for cerebral hemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis, despite improved survival. Some risks decreased, while others, like chronic lung disease and infection, increased or remained unexplained.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Critical Care
Background:
- Preterm infants (<35 weeks gestation) face significant neonatal morbidities.
- Improved survival rates necessitate understanding evolving morbidity trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in major neonatal morbidities for preterm infants over an 11-year period.
- To identify changes in the risk of specific morbidities despite advancements in care.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 3220 preterm infants (<35 weeks gestation) admitted between 1980 and 1991.
- Calculation of annual odds ratios, standardized for confounding variables, to assess morbidity trends.
- Examination of trends for major cerebral hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, chronic lung disease, pneumothorax, and other conditions.
Main Results:
- Risk for major cerebral hemorrhage, ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion, and necrotizing enterocolitis remained unchanged.
- A reduction in risk was observed for pneumothorax and persistence of the arterial duct.
- Increased risk for chronic lung disease was associated with improved survival; increased infection risk was unexplained.
Conclusions:
- Despite improved survival, certain major neonatal morbidities in preterm infants did not decrease between 1980 and 1991.
- Evolving trends in neonatal morbidities require ongoing surveillance and investigation.
- Unexplained increases in infection risk highlight the need for further research in preterm infant care.
Abstract:
Annual odds ratios, standardised for known confounding variables, were used to examine trends in major neonatal morbidities among 3220 preterm infants of less than 35 weeks' gestation admitted to a regional referral centre between 1980 and 1991. Despite improved survival, the risk of major cerebral haemorrhage, ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion, and necrotising enterocolitis was unchanged. A recent reduction in risk of pneumothorax and persistence of the arterial duct was noted. An increased risk for chronic lung disease over time could be accounted for by increased survival, although a similar increase in risk for infection remained unexplained.
