Mortality And Major Morbidities Of Very Low Birth Weight Infants At A Teaching Hospital In Saudi Arabia: A Comparison Of Two Periods

Objectives: To assess the status of care provided in the neonatal intensive care unit at our institution and to track the changes in rates of mortality and major morbidities of very low birth weight infants, delivered over two periods. Materials and Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the records of preterm infants, with birth weights <1,500 g and gestational age <33 weeks. Infants studied were born over two periods; the first extends from January 1999 to December 2007 and the second from January 2011 to December 2018. We compared the rates of survival to discharge and major morbidities of the infants in these two periods and, as a corollary, to the rates published in 2007 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) neonatal research network. Results: Five hundred and twelve infants were included in the second period of this study. The survival-to-discharge rate was 84%, and it varied among infants based on their gestational ages. Generally, morbidities reported in the second period were less than their counterparts in the first one and comparable to NICHD ones. The most common morbidities were respiratory distress syndrome, 88.5%; retinopathy of prematurity, 28.3%; patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), 27.9%; and sepsis/meningitis, 25.6%. Conclusion: Most of the assessed morbidity rates have decreased over time, except for periventricular leukomalacia which increased. The survival-to-discharge rates have not improved as expected; this trend seems concerning and warrants further investigation.