Neonatal death factors in very low birth weight infants

Introduction: Infant mortality rate (IMR) is one of the health indicators used to assess the health conditions, economic development and quality of life of a population. Neonatal mortality has been the main component of child mortality since the 1990s in the country and has been maintained at high levels, with a rate of 11.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010.Methods: The study was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the Guidelines and Regulatory Standards for Research Involving Human Beings imposed by Resolution CNS 466/12,the Department of Teaching and Research and the Research Ethics Committee of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará Foundation(CAAE 44804515.4. 0000.5171) with the approval of Plataforma Brasil through the opinion nº 1.074.331 dated 05/22/2015. Results: The findings of the present study showed women who underwent prenatal care incompletely and that despite a high record of prenatal complications, there were low records of antenatal corticosteroid use. Regarding data related to neonates, a predominant gestational age of 28 to 31 weeks was observed, with an average birth weight of 955g, with high data on the need for resuscitation in the delivery room accompanied by the use of surfactant, vasoactive drugs with invasive ventilatory support. Sedation and analgesia averaging 9.90 days and noninvasive mechanical ventilation averaging 9.19 days. The average length of stay in the intensive care unit was 13.15 days, which were reported as the cause of death, mainly pulmonary hemorrhage, septic shock and extreme prematurity, among others. Conclusion: Given these findings, we can see the fragility of health services in relation to the care of newborns with low weight in intensive care units. In addition, it is necessary to update routines, continuing education and studies to improve care according to the particularities of this population. This way newborns can have a better survival.