Critically ill newborns with multiple organ dysfunction: assessment by NEOMOD score in a tertiary NICU.
BACKGROUND
The neonatal multiple organ dysfunction score (NEOMOD) predicts mortality during the first 28 days of life, and provides information on organ functions influencing mortality.


OBJECTIVE
To test the predictive and descriptive accuracy of NEOMOD in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.


METHODS
The system was used in 112 infants. It evaluates the central nervous system (CNS), coagulation, respiratory, gastrointestinal (GIT), cardiovascular (CVS), renal system, and acid-base balance in 24-h intervals during the first 28 days of life.


RESULTS
A NEOMOD of > or =9 was associated with 100% mortality. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for assessing the accuracy of NEOMOD score in prediction of mortality. The area under curve (AUC) attained by NEOMOD was 0.93 for mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
The NEOMOD evaluates daily the severity of the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and is an accurate predictor of mortality.
Janota
J
J
Department of Paediatrics, The Rotunda Hospital, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland. janjanota@yahoo.com
Simak
J
J
Stranak
Z
Z
Matthews
T
T
Clarke
T
T
Corcoran
D
D
D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index