[Early and late neonatal death, characteristics of mothers and newborn].

The aim of the study was to analyze the profile of mothers and newborns who died in the early and late neonatal period. Descriptive, exploratory cross-sectional study that used secondary data obtained from the information systems of mortality, births and hospital records of mothers living in Cuiabá, who gave birth in 2010. We studied 77 deaths, of which 72.7% occurred in the early neonatal period. The early and late neonatal mortality rates were, respectively, 8.2, 6.0 and 2.2/1,000 live births. No difference was found in the profile of mothers and newborns who died in the early or late neonatal period. Characteristics that prevailed among the neonatal deaths were less than 7 prenatal visits, prematurity, low birth weight and Apgar score less than 7 at 1 minute. These results indicate the need for investment, especially in improving the quality of prenatal care in the city.