OBJECTIVE To assess the neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioral function of extremely low birth weight babies (ELBW) till corrected age of two years. METHODS 79 ELBW babies were enrolled and followed at 1 year (n=50), 18 months (n=47) and 2 years (n=36). Adverse composite outcome was defined as death or moderate-to-severe neurodevelopmental impairment (defined as either cerebral palsy or...

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are particularly vulnerable at birth, and stabilization in the delivery room (DR) remains challenging. After birth, ELBW infants are at high risk for the development of thermal dysregulation, respiratory insufficiency, and hemodynamic instability due to their immature physiology and anatomy. Although successful stabilization facilitates the transition a...

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the contribution of withholding or withdrawing care to neonatal mortality in our hospital over a 10-year period from 1993 through 2002. BACKGROUND Although not initiating or withholding intensive care for certain newborns has been practiced openly for the past 25 years, little information has been published concerning the results of these practices on neonatal...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in women aged ≥41 years relatively to those aged 21-34. METHODS Approximately 8.5 million records of singleton births in Brazilian hospitals in the period 2004-2009 were investigated. Odds ratios were estimated for preterm and post-term births, for low Apgar scores at 1 min and at 5 min, for asphyxia, for low birth weight, and f...

PURPOSE To study the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a neonatal intensive care unit and obtain information on risk factors associated with ROP. METHODS Four hundred twenty-three infants were screened for ROP between July 2006 and July 2010. Demographic information, clinical data, and risk factors were reviewed. RESULTS The incidence was 40.4% (171 infants) for ROP, 9.2% (39...

BACKGROUND Babies born with extreme prematurity and low birth weight (< 1000 g) present a unique treatment challenge. In addition to the complexity of achieving survival, they may require surgical interventions for abdominal emergencies. Usually, these infants are transferred to a referral center for surgical treatment. Since 2000 our approach is bedside abdominal surgery at the referring cente...

OBJECTIVES To estimate the recurrence risk of preterm delivery and estimate the perinatal mortality in repeated preterm deliveries. METHODS Prospective study in Tanzania of 18 176 women who delivered a singleton between 2000 and 2008 at KCMC hospital. The women were followed up to 2010 for consecutive births. A total of 3359 women were identified with a total of 3867 subsequent deliveries in ...

The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of the use of continuous positive airway pressure installed prophylactically in the delivery room (DR-CPAP), for infants with a birth weight between 500 and 1000 g in settings with limited resources. During 23 months, infants with a birth weight between 500 and 1000 g consecutively received DR-CPAP. A total of 33 infants with low birt...

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may adversely affect the postnatal growth of the extremely premature infant; however, most studies have not controlled for birth weight. We studied 90 Black premature infants (mean birth weight 989 +/- 148 g). Weight was recorded biweekly until discharge and at 4, 8, and 12 months of age corrected for prematurity. Infants with BPD (N = 23) were contrasted with i...

Background. Neonatal deaths constitute the majority of child mortality in Vietnam, but studies are scarce and focus on community settings. Methods. During a 12-month period, all sick neonates admitted to a pediatric department in a province hospital were studied. Potential risk factors of death covering sociodemographic factors, pregnancy history, previous neonatal period, and status on admissi...