A study of short term outcome of late preterm babies

Abstract

Background: Late preterm babies born between 34 to <37 weeks of gestation are associated with adverse short term and long term outcomes and an increased burden on health care. Aim was to study the short term outcome of late preterm babies in comparison with term babies and to study the maternal risk factors involved in late preterm.Methods: Prospective and descriptive study was conducted on the late preterm babies born at SIMS & RC over a period of 15 months from October 2015 to December 2016. Cases included were late preterm newborns and control was term newborns.Results: Among late preterm babies, the common maternal risk factors observed was PIH in 35.3% (40/113), antepartum haemorrhage in 20.3% (23/113) and PPROM in 19.4% (22/113) of the cases. Based on gestational age, majority of them were between 35≤36 weeks in 38.9% (44/113). Based on birth weight, most of them were between 1.5-2.5 kg in 85.8% (97/113). Among gender majority of them were males in 56.6% (64/113) of the cases. Late preterm babies had more morbidities and mortality compared to term babies. The common morbidities observed were jaundice in 63.7% (72/113), feed intolerance in 28.3% (32/113), hypoglycemia in 27.4% (31/113) and sepsis in 22.1% (25/113) of the cases when compared to term babies jaundice were noted in 62% (1228/1978), sepsis in 5.7% (113/1978), hypoglycaemia in 3.4% (68/1978), respiratory distress in 3.1% (63/1978) of the cases respectively. The late preterm mortality was 1.7% (2/113) compared term mortality of 0.45% (9/1978). Overall late preterm mortality rate was 0.86% (2/2311) compared to term which was 3.89%(9/2311) of the total live births.Conclusions: This study shows morbidity and mortality was high in late preterm babies compared to term babies with significant maternal risk factors.