Perinatal complications in two cohort groups of preterm newborns in Intensive care unit for Children's Diseases of University Clinical Hospital Mostar.

AIM To determine the frequency and type of complications in two cohort groups of preterm newborns. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The research involved 100 preterm newborns divided into two groups according to their gestational age: newborns from 24 to 33+6/7 weeks GA and newborns from 34 to 36+6/7 weeks GA. Parameters which were observed with mother were: age, number of births, course and complications in pregnancy. Parameters with infant: gestational age, weight, newborn small for gestational age (IUGR), asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, hyperbilirubinemia, apnea, anemia, intracranial hemorrhage and metabolic disorder (hypoglycaemia, hypocalcaemia). Research criterion for exclusion was all preterm newborn infants with chromosome anomalies which cause death, fetal death during pregnancy (in utero) and newborns (born after full 37 weeks). RESULTS After dividing exminees according to their gestational age into two groups, the group with higher gestational age (from 34 to 36+6/7 weeks GA) had 76% and the group with lower gestational age (from 24 to 33+6/7 weeks GA) had 24% of infants. The course of pregnancy was pathological in 68% of pregnancies and normal with 32% of pregnncies, the difference is statistically significant. 97% of pregnant woman had pathological course in the group of preterm newborns with lower GA. The most common perinatal complication was hyperbilirubinemia in 42% of cases, while sepsis was present in 1% of infants. The first group of infants (<33 GA) had mostly combination of 3 or more complications in 46% of infants while the other group mostly had hyperbilirubinemia in 50% and combination of complications in 24% of infants. CONCLUSION Perinatal complication occurence depends on premature birth and course of pregnancy. Larger number of complications and harder complications which may result with death are more common in patients with lower gestational age (24 to 33+6/7 weeks GA) than in patients with higher gestational age (34 to 36+6/7 weeks GA).