[Artificial ventilation of preterm and term infants (author's transl)]

One of the first aims of the neonatal care unit of the Paediatric Department of the University of Innsbruck (Austria) consists in taking care of dangerously ill children of Tyrol including the neighbouring federal states and the alpine part of Italy (South Tyrol). From SUMMER 1974 to the end of October 1976 1342 preterm and term infants were treated. 142 of these children died (mortality rate 10.5%). In 94 patients, i. e. 6.9% mechanical ventilation was necessary. 39 of these children, i. e. 41.5% survived. Two indications of artifical ventilation were predominant: Hyaline membrane syndrome in 59 children (survival rate 49%) and apnoe in 22 children (survival rate 27%). Electroencephalography was performed in 39 children during the neonatal period. 34 of these children were severely ill (gestational age of 24 to 37 weeks), 5 children were born at term nevertheless moribund. 18 of the 23 dead children of this group showed severe alterations in electroencephalography. The cause of death of 10 of these children was cerebral bleeding as verified by autopsy. 8 of the 16 surviving children showed a regular psychomotoric development, 5 children of this group had a normal electroencephalogram.