Relationship between placental weight and late-onset circulatory collapse

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Perinatal Medicine
• Pediatric Critical Care

Background:

• Late-onset circulatory collapse (LCC) is an increasing complication in preterm infants, particularly those born at younger gestational ages and lower birthweights.
• The pathophysiology is suspected to involve relative adrenal insufficiency.
• Birthweight-to-placental weight ratio (BPR) is an indicator of pregnancy outcomes and neonatal morbidity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between LCC and potential predictive factors, specifically BPR.
• To analyze if BPR can predict the occurrence of LCC in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 261 preterm infants (gestational age < 32 weeks) between 2007 and 2017.
• Collected perinatal data, including placental weight and BPR.
• Utilized propensity score analysis, matching for gestational age and birthweight.

Main Results:

• Infants with LCC had significantly lower gestational age and birthweight compared to controls.
• Placental weight and BPR were significantly lower in the LCC group, but BPR Z-score did not differ.
• After propensity score matching, BPR and its Z-score showed no significant difference between LCC and non-LCC groups.

Conclusions:

• Perinatal factors, including BPR, did not significantly predict LCC in preterm infants when matched for gestational age and birthweight.
• Severe intraventricular hemorrhage incidence differed significantly between groups post-matching.
• BPR is not a significant predictor of LCC in this cohort.