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Published on: November 20, 2015
Short-Term Outcomes and Mortality of Late Preterm Infants
Cahide Bulut1, Tuğba Gürsoy1, Fahri Ovalı1
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Diseases Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Late preterm infants face higher risks of illness and death than full-term infants. Close monitoring is crucial for these vulnerable newborns, as risks increase with earlier birth.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Health
- Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Outcomes
Background:
- Late preterm infants (34-37 weeks gestation) exhibit elevated morbidity and mortality rates compared to term infants.
- Identifying risk factors is essential for developing targeted preventive and treatment strategies for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze morbidity (respiratory diseases, infections, anomalies, hypoglycemia, hematologic issues) and mortality rates in late preterm and term infants.
- To assess the impact of gestational age on adverse outcomes in a large cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cross-sectional study design.
- Analysis of medical records for infants born between 34 and 42 weeks gestation at a referral center.
- Inclusion of 41,752 births over a three-year period.
Main Results:
- Late preterm infants (16.1% of births) showed increased short-term health problems compared to term infants (71.9% of births).
- Mortality rates correlated inversely with gestational age, increasing as gestation decreased.
- Hospitalization duration was significantly longer for the smallest late preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Late preterm infants require vigilant monitoring due to their heightened risk of morbidity and mortality.
- Decreased gestational age is a significant predictor of increased mortality and hospitalization rates in this cohort.
Background:
Late preterm infants have increased rates of morbidity and mortality compared to term infants. Determining the risk factors in these infants leads to more comprehensive preventive and treatment strategies.
Aims:
Our aim was to analyse the morbidity rates such as respiratory system diseases, infections, congenital anomalies, hypoglycemia and hematologic abnormalities and mortality rates in a large group of patients at a referral center.
Study Design:
Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Methods:
Medical records of late preterm and term infants who were managed at the referral center were analysed.
Results:
41752 births were analysed in 3 years. 71.9% of all births were between 37-42 gestational weeks (i.e. term) and 16.1% were between 34-37 weeks (i.e. late preterm). Compared to term infants, late preterm infants had increased rates of short-term problems. The rate of mortality increased with decreased gestational age. The duration of hospitalization was significantly higher in the smallest late preterm infants.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated the need that late preterm infants who have higher risk for morbidity and mortality, compared to term infants require close monitoring. The rate of mortality and hospitalization increased with decreased gestational age.
