Frequency of Preterm Delivery and Premature Infants Requiring Intensive Cares at a Referral Hospital in Isfahan, Iran.

Background: Advances in perinatal care have increased the number of premature babies who survive. We investigated the frequency of preterm delivery and its influence on the neonatal outcome in pregnancies at a perinatal center in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This study was done among the preterm deliveries at a Shahid-Beheshti perinatal center in Isfahan, Iran. The data collected in checklists and were analyzed by Student-t, Mann-Whitneyt, and chi-square tests via SPSS software. Finding: In this study we evaluate 1402 delivery. There were 233 preterm deliveries (less than 37 weeks gestational age). Among 248 live preterm deliveries, 123 cases (49%) need NICU cares. The mean of NICU administration was 10.1 days. The rate of mortality in NICU was 25% (32 cases). Conclusion: Preterm deliveries are at a higher risk for an adverse neonatal outcome and thereby cause considerable costs. In this study, our findings were in the range of other studies; but more attention to premature neonates is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]