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All issues > Volume 48(12); 2005
- Original Article
- Korean J Pediatr. 2005;48(12):1324-1329. Published online December 15, 2005.
- Evaluation of Perinatal and Management Factors Associated with Improved Survival in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
- Sung Eun SE Park1, Ga Won GW Jeon1, Chang Won CW Choi2, Jong Hee JH Hwang3, Soo Hyun SH Koo1, Yu Jin YJ Kim1, Chang Hoon CH Lee1, Yun Sil YS Chang1, Won Soon WS Park1
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1Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul
2Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam
3Department of Pediatrics, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University School of Medicine, Koyang, Korea - Correspondence Won Soon WS Park ,Email: wspark@smc.samsung.co.kr
- Abstract
- Purpose
: The aim of this study was to evaluate recent improvements in the survival rate of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and to identify perinatal and management factors that are associated with improved survival.
Methods
: Two groups of ELBW infants who were admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during two distinct eras : November 1994-December 1999 (Period 1 : n=100) and January 2000-April 2004 (Period 2 : n=166) were retrospectively reviewed.
Results
: Despite the younger gestational age and smaller birth weight of the ELBW infants in period 2, not only did their survival rate increased to 75 percent from 60 percent in period 1, but their incidence of morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, confimed sepsis and intraventricular hemorrhage (≥Grade III) also declined. Factors significantly associated with improved survival included the use of antenatal steroids, a longer duration of nasal continuous positive airway pressure and the absence of intraventricular hemorrhage (≥Grade III).
Conclusion
: We believe that optimized clinical practice, that emphasized less invasive care, contributed to the recent improvements in the survival rate of ELBW infants.
Keywords :Extremely low birth weight , Survival , Morbidity , Prematurity