title: Perinatal risk factors and mode of delivery associated with mortality in very low birth weight infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of perinatal risk factors including delivery mode with mortality in very low birthweight (VLBW) in a tertiary hospital setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of 241 live-born VLBW infants (≤1500 g) were retrospectively reviewed. Details of maternal, obstetrical, perinatal risk factors and their associations with infant mortality were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall infant mortality rate was 23.2%. Mortality was significantly higher for infants born at ≤27 gestational weeks and with a birthweight of ≤750 g (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000, respectively), showing a steep decrease thereafter. On ROC analysis, a cut off of 26.5 weeks was determined for mortality with a sensitivity of 57.1% and a specificity of 90.3% (area under the curve = 0.792, 95% CI: 0.719-0.866). On multivariate regression analysis, gestational week at birth, birthweight, antenatal steroid treatment and pathologic Doppler ultrasound findings were found as independent risk factors for mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gestational week at birth, birthweight and antenatal steroid treatment remain the most important perinatal risk factors for infant mortality in VLBW infants. Mode of delivery does not seem to be associated with mortality when adjusted for other perinatal risk factors.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
authors.forename: Serife Esra
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics , and.
authors.forename: Emel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okulu
authors.affiliation: c Division of Perinatology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Ankara University School of Medicine , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Feride
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Soylemez
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics , and.
authors.forename: İlke Mungan
authors.initials: İM
authors.lastname: Akin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
authors.forename: Seda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akyel
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics , and.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alan
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics , and.
authors.forename: Begum
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Atasay
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics , and.
authors.forename: Saadet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arsan
authors.affiliation: c Division of Perinatology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Ankara University School of Medicine , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Acar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koc
keywords: Infant mortality; mode of delivery; perinatal risk factors; very low birthweight infants