title: [A follow-up of the survival and medical factors responsible for the termination of treatment in very or extremely low birth weight infants].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the outcomes of very or extremely low birth weight (VLBW/ELBW) infants born between 2000 and 2008 in a single NICU and the medical factors associated with the termination of treatment in some infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case control study, the clinical data of 148 VLBW/ELBW infants were retrospectively studied and the surviving infants were followed up. Both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the medical factors associated with terminating treatment in infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty infants (13.5%) failed to respond to the therapy and died in the hospital. Three infants (2.0%) died after discharge. Nineteen infants (12.8%) did not receive treatment due to decision of the guardian and died. Thirty infants (20.3%) were not followed up after discharge. Seventy-six infants (51.4%) survived, including 47 healthy infants, 2 cases of congenital diseases and 27 cases with poor prognosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed there were 2 significant factors associated with terminating treatment: neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (P=0.030, OR=11.396, 95%CI 1.-102.701) and hospitalization periods (the year 2004-2006) (P=0.039, OR=9.869, 95%CI 1.118-87.140).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survival status of VLBW and ELBW infants needs to be improved. It is important to decrease the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome for decreasing the proportion of terminating treatment in the infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yan-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Zhao-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng-Lin
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male