Survival rate of very low birth weight neonates and its determinant factors

Background: Birth of an infant with very low birth weight (VLBW) (weight less than ۱۵۰۰ grams) is a major cause of deaths and complications in infancy and childhood. Despite recent progressions in medical care and treatment for VLBW children, the mortality rate is high in this group of children. The present study was performed to better identify the survival rate of these children and the problems that affect the survival of this group of infants in the short and long term. Methods: The study population was all infants weighing less than ۱۵۰۰ grams or infants who were less than ۳۲ weeks' pregnancy whom birth from the beginning to the end of ۲۰۱۸ were born in hospitals in Tehran. The study was a survival and cross-sectional study. A total of ۳۳۸ children were studied. Information about these children was provided by the Family and Population Health Office of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Sampling was non-random and all information about the infants under study was recorded in the questionnaire after the phone call by the questioners. All data from the study were entered into SPSS-۲۲ software and the results were presented using descriptive and analytical statistics. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier test and the effect of variables on survival was evaluated using multivariate Cox model. Results: Out of the total number of births, ۳۳۸ infants were eligible to enter the study and their parents answered the phone call. Based on the results of cox regression models, the probability of one-month survival of children was about ۶۸% and the probability of one-year survival was about ۶۰%. Of the ۱۰ variables affecting the survival of VLBW infants and children under study, ۶ variables of maternal education, Number of pregnancies, parent and infant insurance, gestational age, birth weight and maternal vaccination before pregnancy were significantly related with the death of infant (P ≤۰.۰۵). Conclusions: One of the effective strategies for VLBW infant survival rate is encouraging women to continue their education, vaccinating mother before pregnancy, insuring family members and preventing multiple pregnancies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Infants ، Very low birth weight ، Complications