Obstetric FactorsInfluencing the Outcome ofO VLBW Babies Admitted to Level 3 MalaysianV

Increasing survival of very low birth infants is largely the result of improved neonatal intensive careD. In Malaysia over the past decade neonatal intensive care has been developing rapidly. Although published data on the outcome of intensive care does not exist, annual reports produced by major government hospitals show that there has been an improvement in survival of very low birth weight babies admitted to these hospitals. Over this period when neonatal intensive care has been developing there has also been marked improvement in the general standard of living and the health status of the population. Obstetric management has also markedly improved, in particular, access to proper antenatal care with identification and monitoring of at-risk pregnancies and delivery in an appropriate facility. However, it is not possible to define the exact role of each of these factors 6•