A 2 Year Prospective Study of Neonatal Mortality and Clinical Practices for VLBW infant births in a Pacific Rim Nursery Network † 1290

This multicenter network compared prospective data from 617 infants with birthweight < 1501g or gestational age < 31 weeks between January 1, 1996 through December 1997, from 6 Pacific Rim nurseries. Data collected included gestational age (GA), birthweight (BW), Apgar scores, blood gas and head ultrasound results, survival to nursery discharge, use of antenatal steroids (AS), delivery route, and surfactant use. Severity of illness scores were derived from data obtained during the first 12 hours of life, using Critical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB scores). The association between risk factors (CRIB scores, GA and BW) and mortality were studied.