Chonnam Med J.  2011 Apr;47(1):31-38. 10.4068/cmj.2011.47.1.31.

Analysis of High-Risk Infant Births and Their Mortality: Ten Years' Data from Chonnam National University Hospital

• Choi YY
• Song ES
• Kim YH
• Song TB

• KMID: 2172242
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4068/cmj.2011.47.1.31

Abstract

Prematurity and low birth weight are major factors associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality, and their incidence is not decreasing despite an annual decrease in the total number of live births in Korea. The objective of this study was to establish a strategy to reduce neonatal mortality by analyzing the clinical characteristics of high-risk infant births along with their mortality and causes of death. We retrospectively surveyed the medical records of infants born at Chonnam National University Hospital and of patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for 10 years from October 1999 to December 2008. Premature and low birth weight infants were almost half of the live births, and their NICU admission rate increased with increases in the numbers of outborns and multiples. Also, their mortality decreased dramatically over the past 10 years. About 60% of deaths occurred within 1 week of life, and the causes of death were mostly related to prematurity. Perinatal asphyxia was the major cause of death in infants less than 1 week old, whereas sepsis was the major cause after 4 weeks of age. The major cause of death was sepsis in premature or low birth weight infants and perinatal asphyxia in term or normal weight infants. The major cause of death was sepsis in inborns and perinatal asphyxia in outborns. Our results suggest that medical personnel training for immediate postnatal care including neonatal resuscitation, infection control, and a systematic team approach to regionalization are all needed to reduce the mortality rate.

Keyword

Premature birth; Cause of death; Low birth weight; Mortality

MeSH Terms

Asphyxia
Cause of Death
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infant Mortality
Infant, Low Birth Weight
Infant, Newborn
Infection Control
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Korea
Live Birth
Medical Records
Parturition
Postnatal Care
Premature Birth
Resuscitation
Retrospective Studies
Sepsis

Figure

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  FIG. 1 The comparison of rates for premature and LBWI births among inborns (A), and of mortality rates for premature and LBWIs among NICU patients (B) between 1999 to 2003 (white bar) and 2004 to 2009 (black bar). LBWI: low birth weight infant, NS: not significant.

• 

  FIG. 2 Gestational age- (A) and birth weight-specific mortality rates (B) in NICU patients.

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