[Morbimortality at a second-level neonatology unit]

In order to detect existing problems and opportunely pinpoint failures, an evaluation was conducted to determine the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in a neonatal ward. A retrospective analysis was carried out on the total number of births attended per year (1,003) at the hospital and of those newborns, those transferred to the neonatal ward (213, 21.2%). Of the 213 newborns placed in the neonatal ward, 30 of them (14.08%) were transferred to a Third Level Hospital (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) while the rest remained in the neonatal ward. The five most frequent pathologies seen at the ward were reviewed. A high percentage (28.1%) of the patients were considered as potentially infected, while the remaining pathologies encountered were found to be similar to others reported elsewhere in the literature. Of the 183 babies looked after in the neonatal ward, 176 (96.17%) were cured and later discharged from the ward while the other seven died (3.8%) due to hyaline membrane disease, intracranial hemorrhaging, ischemic hypoxic encephalopathy and hospital-acquired septicemia. We conclude that specialized prenatal care and the early detection of high risk pregnancy decreases morbidity and mortality in second level hospital wards. Recommendations are given on the management of neonatal ward.