Association of maternal hypertension and chorioamnionitis with preterm outcomes
OBJECTIVES: We compared the relative effect of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and chorioamnionitis on adverse neonatal outcomes in very preterm neonates, and studied whether gestational age (GA) modulates these effects. METHODS: A cohort of neonates 23 to 30 weeks' GA, born in 2008 to 2011 in 82 hospitals adhering to the Italian Neonatal Network, was analyzed. Infants born from mothers who had hypertensive disorders (N = 2096) were compared with those born after chorioamnionitis (N = 1510). Statistical analysis employed logistic models, adjusting for GA, hospital, and potential confounders. RESULTS: Overall mortality was higher after hypertension than after chorioamnionitis (odds rati…
Survey of neonatal respiratory care and surfactant administration in very preterm infants in the Italian neonatal network
INTRODUCTION: Variation of respiratory care is described between centers around the world. The Italian Neonatal Network (INN), as a national group of the Vermont-Oxford Network (VON) allows to perform a wide analysis of respiratory care in very low birth weight infants. METHODS: We analyzed the dataset of infants enrolled in the INN in 2009 and 2010 and, for surfactant administration only, from 2006 to 2010 from 83 participating centers. All definitions are those of the (VON). A questionnaire analysis was also performed with a questionnaire on centers practices. RESULTS: We report data for 8297 infants. Data on ventilator practices and outcomes are outlined. Variation for both practices and…