Prognostic predictors of neurodevelopmental outcome or mortality in very-low-birth-weight infants.

Survival rate of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants has much improved in recent years. However, neurodevelopmental outcomes are still of the most concerned to such infants' parents. In order to survey survival rate, neurodevelopmental outcome and prognostic factors in these infants, we did a retrospective study of VLBW infants who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Taipei City Hospital, Branch for Women and Children from 1st January 2001 to 31th October 2004. We reviewed their medical records and analyzed the data. A total of 68 cases were enrolled in this study, and overall one-year survival rate was 70.3% (45/64). The unfavorable outcome group had lower birth weight, lower gestational age, lower Apgar scores at 1-minute and 5-minute, higher rate of vaginal delivery, more respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), and higher IVH grades (all p value < 0.05). However, with multiple logistic regression analysis, only low birth weight and higher IVH grades were the significant predictors of unfavorable outcome. Univariate analysis showed that RDS increased but Cesarean section (C/S) decreased the risk of severe IVH. According to the result, we can make the conclusion that the survival rate of VLBW infants in our hospital was similar to that in other medical centers in Taiwan. In order to prevent severe grades of IVH and subsequent unfavorable outcome in VLBW infants, prenatal therapies to prevent RDS and perhaps choice of C/S as delivery mode are the best strategies.