All issues > Volume 49(9); 2006

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2006;49(9):952-958. Published online September 15, 2006.

Recent outcome of extremely low birth weight infants - The use of CRIB(clinical risk index for babies) Ⅱ score foranalyzing the survival rate -

Do-Hyeon DH Kim¹, So-Yeon SY Shim², Jae-Ri JR Kim¹, Seung-Han SH Shin¹, Eun Sun ES Kim¹, Kyoung-Eun KE Joung¹, Sang Duk SD Kim¹, Jin A JA Lee³, Chang Won CW Choi¹, Ee-Kyung EK Kim¹, Han-Suk HS Kim¹, Beyong Il BI Kim¹, Jung-Hwan JH Choi¹

¹Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, Gil Medical Center, Gacheon Medical School, Incheon, Korea
³Department of Pediatrics, Boramae Hospital, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Jung-Hwan JH Choi ,Email: neona@plaza.snu.ac.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: The survival rate of infants weighing less than 1,000 g at birth(extremely low birth weight infants, ELBWI) has increased due to recent advances in perinatal and neonatal intensive care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the survival rates of ELBWI born at Seoul National University Hospital during the last six years.
Methods
: A total of 99 infants were divided into three groups(period Ⅰ: 2000 to 2001, period Ⅱ: 2002 to 2003, period Ⅲ : 2004 to 2005) based on date of birth. We compared the survival rate of ELBWI over the three periods, using CRIB Ⅱ score for adjustment for clinical severity.
Results
: Overall survival rate of ELBWI was 74.7 percent. The survival rate of ELBWI increased over the three periods(period Ⅰ: 60.7 percent, period Ⅱ : 73.3 percent, period Ⅲ : 85.3 percent). The threshold of viability(defined as survival of at least 50 percent of infants) was 25 weeks of gestation and 600 g at birth. The birth weight-specific survival rates increased considerably over the three periods for infants <750 g at birth(period Ⅰ: 10 percent, period Ⅱ: 46.2 percent, period Ⅲ : 70.6 percent). The survival rates of ELBWI over the three periods increased much remarkably after adjustment for clinical severity by CRIB Ⅱ score.
Conclusion
: In our institution, survival rates of ELBWI during the last six years continued to improve, particularly for infants weighing <750 g at birth. This increase in survival rates was not associated with the clinical severity of ELBWI.

Keywords :Extremely low birth weight infant , Survival rate , CRIB Ⅱ score