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Published on: November 20, 2015
Neonatal morbidity and mortality of late-preterm babies
Ozlem Kalyoncu1, Canan Aygün, Erhan Cetinoğlu
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Ondokuz Mayis University, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey.
Insights
Late-preterm infants face significantly higher risks of morbidity and mortality compared to full-term newborns. This vulnerable population requires increased medical attention and specialized care to mitigate these risks.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Critical Care
Background:
- Late-preterm infants (34-36 weeks gestation) represent a growing proportion of neonatal admissions.
- These infants are often perceived as low-risk, yet they experience higher rates of adverse outcomes than term infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in late-preterm infants.
- To compare these rates with those of term newborns in a Turkish tertiary care setting.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study included 252 late-preterm infants and 252 term infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
- Infants with major congenital or chromosomal abnormalities were excluded from the analysis.
Main Results:
- Late-preterm infants had a 2.3% mortality rate, while no term infants died.
- Late-preterms were significantly more likely to experience respiratory distress, feeding problems, hypoglycemia, readmission, and rehospitalization compared to term infants.
- Risk factors for respiratory distress included late-prematurity, large for gestational age, male gender, and cesarean delivery.
Conclusions:
- Late-preterm infants exhibit substantially higher risks of morbidity and mortality than term newborns.
- This population warrants greater clinical concern and focused care strategies due to their elevated risk profile.
Objective:
To analyze neonatal morbidity and mortality rates of late-preterms and to compare them with their term counterparts in a tertiary care unit in Turkey.
Study Design:
The study included 252 late-preterm newborns (34 0/7--36 6/7 weeks' gestational age), admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the first 24 h of life between January 2005 and June 2007 and 252 newborns born in the same hospital in the same period of time. Babies with major congenital and/or chromosomal abnormalities were excluded.
Results:
The mortality rate was 2.3% in late-preterms. None of the term newborns died. Compared to terms, late-preterms were 11 times more likely to develop respiratory distress, 14 times more likely to have feeding problems, 11 times more likely to exhibit hypoglycemia, 3 times more likely to be readmitted and 2.5 times more likely to be rehospitalized. Late-prematurity, being large for gestational age, male gender, and cesarean delivery were significant risk factors for respiratory distress.
Conclusion:
Late-preterms have significantly higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with term newborns. Greater concern and attention is required for the care of this ignored, at-risk population.
