Early-term delivery and adverse neonatal outcomes at a tertiary center in Turkey

Early-term infants incur higher risks for neonatal morbidities compared to full-term infants. In this study, we investigated the neonatal morbidities in early-term infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Early-term (37 0/7 and 38 6/7 weeks of gestation) and full-term (39 0/7 and 41 6/7 weeks of gestation) infants born between January 2013 and December 2014 were enrolled in this study. Early-term deliveries accounted for 8,026 (25.7%) of all live births (n = 31,170). The admission rate of early-term infants to the NICU was 7.5%. The most common diagnoses were jaundice (44.2%) and respiratory distress (37.8%). The cesarean section and small-for-gestational-age rates were significantly higher in early-term infants (p < 0.001), as were the mean duration of hospital stay, prolonged hospitalization (> 5 days), and readmission rates (p< 0.05). Morbidities, including NICU admission, respiratory distress, jaundice, hypoglycemia, feeding difficulty, and dehydration, were also more common in early-term infants (p< 0.05). This is the first Turkish study to report on the association of early-term delivery with poor neonatal outcomes. These results should be evaluated by obstetricians when considering the timing of labor induction or planned cesarean delivery. They should also be considered by neonatologists, who need to be aware of the higher risk of neonatal morbidities.