title: [Bone Fractures in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fractures during the neonatal period are rare. Some fractures, especially long bones, may occur during birth. Moreover, neonates hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit have an increased risk of fractures for several reasons.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the incidence and characterize fractures in newborns admitted in a tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of the newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a diagnosis at discharge of one or more bone fractures from January 1996 to June 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty neonates had one or more fractures. In 76 (95%) infants the fractures were attributed to birth injury. The most common fracture was the clavicle fracture in 60 (79%) neonates, followed by skull fracture in 6 (8%). In two (2.5%) neonates, extremely low birth weight infants, fractures were interpreted as resulting from osteopenia of prematurity. Both had multiple fractures, and one of them with several ribs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A change in obstetric practices allied to improvement premature neonateâÄôs care contributed to the decreased incidence of fractures in neonatal period. But in premature infants the diagnosis may be underestimated, given the high risk of fracture that these infants present.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Neonatologia. Hospital Pediátrico Integrado. Centro Hospitalar de São João E.P.E. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Neonatologia. Hospital Pediátrico Integrado. Centro Hospitalar de São João E.P.E. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Medicina Física e Reabilitação. Centro Hospitalar de São João E.P.E. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia. Centro Hospitalar de São João E.P.E. Porto. Portugal. Departamento de Ortopedia. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade do Porto. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alegrete
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Medicina Física e Reabilitação. Centro Hospitalar de São João E.P.E. Porto. Portugal. Departamento de Pediatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade do Porto. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Hercília
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies