[Gravely ill newborns (excluding greatly premature) in 1986 and 1995 in three deparments of Pays de la Loire].
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of the progress in the treatment of seriously ill newborn infants under hospital care over the nine-year period from 1986 to 1995 in three departments of the Pays de la Loire region in France.


METHODS
The category of seriously ill newborn infants included only infants born after at least 32 weeks of gestation and having a Cullen severity score higher than 2. The two groups of seriously ill newborn infants at risk in 1986 and 1995 were first compared to a control group of healthy newborn babies delivered during the same years. The two groups were then compared with each other.


RESULTS
In 1986 and 1995, the numbers of births were respectively 32,876 and 29,446, and the numbers of seriously ill newborn infants under hospital care were respectively 307 and 245. However, between 1986 and 1995 the risk factors as well as the causes of morbidity had changed. The average period of hospitalization decreased by five days. The mortality rate dropped from 0.16% to 0.09% (P < 0.05) and the number of serious complications decreased from 0.07% to 0.03% (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The improvement in the care of seriously ill newborn infants between the two reference periods, 1986 and 1995, may be attributed not only to technical progress but also to a better organization of the perinatal care in our region.
Savagner
C
C
Unité de néonatologie, CHU Angers, France.
Branger
B
B
Beringue
F
F
Catala
L
L
Le Bouedec
S
S
Bouderlique
C
C
Debillon
T
T
Brossier
J P
JP
Seguin
G
G
Boog
G
G
Roze
J C
JC
D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000639:trends; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies