title: A multicenter study on the clinical outcome of chorioamnionitis in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of clinical maternal chorioamnionitis on morbidity and mortality rates among infants who are at < 33 weeks of gestation, adjusted for patient characteristics that included admission neonatal illness severity (Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology, version II; SNAP-II).
  
  
  METHODS
  With multivariate logistic regression analysis, prospectively collected hospital outcomes from the Canadian Neonatal Network of singleton infants with birth gestational age of < 33 weeks and clinical chorioamnionitis were compared retrospectively with nonexposed infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 3094 infants, 477 infants (15.4%) who were exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis had significantly higher admission SNAP-II scores. Bivariate analysis revealed that the neonatal mortality rate was increased significantly in the chorioamnionitis group (10.6% vs 6.1%). Multivariate regression analysis with adjustment for illness severity indicated that chorioamnionitis was associated with an increased risk of early sepsis (odds ratio, 5.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.87-10.69) and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.24) but not neonatal death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preterm infants who are exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis have an increased risk of early-onset sepsis and severe intraventricular hemorrhage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Amuchou S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Soraisham
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: Douglas D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Reg S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sauve
authors.forename: Shoo K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002821:Chorioamnionitis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies