title: Infant mortality in Novo Hamburgo: associated factors and cardiovascular causes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infant mortality has decreased in Brazil, but remains high as compared to that of other developing countries. In 2010, the Rio Grande do Sul state had the lowest infant mortality rate in Brazil. However, the municipality of Novo Hamburgo had the highest infant mortality rate in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the causes of infant mortality in the municipality of Novo Hamburgo from 2007 to 2010, identifying which causes were related to heart diseases and if they were diagnosed in the prenatal period, and to assess the access to healthcare services.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study assessed infants of the municipality of Novo Hamburgo, who died, and whose data were collected from the infant death investigation records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 157 deaths in that period, 35.3% were reducible through diagnosis and early treatment, 25% were reducible through partnership with other sectors, 19.2% were non-preventable, 11.5% were reducible by means of appropriate pregnancy monitoring, 5.1% were reducible through appropriate delivery care, and 3.8% were ill defined. The major cause of death related to heart disease (13.4%), which was significantly associated with the variables 'age at death', 'gestational age' and 'birth weight'. Regarding access to healthcare services, 60.9% of the pregnant women had a maximum of six prenatal visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is mandatory to enhance prenatal care and newborn care at hospitals and basic healthcare units to prevent infant mortality.
authors.affiliation: Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Instituto de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila de Andrade
authors.initials: Cde A
authors.lastname: Brum
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Airton Tetelbom
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Instituto de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucia Campos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pellanda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors