The Effect of Birth Hour on Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality in Very-Low Birth Weight Infants in a Teaching Hospital

With the increase in the preterm birth rate, the factors influencing mortality and morbidity in very-low-birth weight neonates have gained importance in recent years. The results of available studies on the influence of birth hour on the mortality and morbidity rates of preterm infants are contradictory. Moreover, no study on this topic has been conducted in our region.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 127 very-low-birth weight newborns based on birth hour. The newborns were divided into 2 groups, the first born during working hours (7:00 am to 11:59 pm) and the second born during after-hours care (12-6:59 am). Mortality and major diseases were compared using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences by Fisher's exact tests, Pearson's chi-squared test, and independent t-tests. The statistical significance level for all analyses was set at P < .05 and the CI at 95%.

Based on the results of this study in terms of neonatal mortality and major morbidities such as intraventricular hemorrhage and the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation, no significant difference was found between the 2 groups, but the difference in appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration (APGAR) score at the fifth minute was statistically significant and was lower at the working hours.

The results of the study may be due to appropriate allocation of resources, assignment of tasks, and professionalism of care in our study area. Further study is needed to determine the differences in clinical care processes that cause these results.