• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.1228-1233
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• 2009

Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate whether a shorter time from the arrival at a hospital to delivery is related to the occurrence of cerebral palsy in premature infants of less than 34 weeks of gestational age. Methods : We studied 142 newborns of less than 34 weeks of gestational age. The time from the arrival at the hospital to delivery was measured. The correlation between the time required for delivery and the occurrence of cerebral palsy was elucidated by diagnosing cerebral palsy in neonates using the Korean Infant Development Screening Test and neurological examination. Results : Preliminary result suggested that a shorter time from hospital arrival to delivery was related to a lower development score for gross motor activity and to a higher frequency of cerebral palsy occurrence. Moreover, it was responsible for a tendency of obtaining lower Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes. The shorter delivery time was associated with a higher probability of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurrence when the length of delivery time was less than 6 hours and there was a higher probability of a shorter gestation period. However, the multifactor analysis revealed that there was little impact of delivery time on the occurrence of cerebral palsy. Conclusions : The length of hospital arrival time to delivery did not significantly influence the occurrence of cerebral palsy in premature infants of less than 34 weeks of gestational age.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.503-509
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• 2010

Purpose : Although neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage is rare, it is associated with high mortality. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with pulmonary hemorrhage in preterm infants and to describe the clinical course, including neonatal morbidity, of infants who developed pulmonary hemorrhage. Methods : We performed a retrospective case-control study of 117 newborn infants aged less than 37 gestational weeks admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Daegu Fatima Hospital between January 1995 and December 2008. Control group infants without pulmonary hemorrhage were matched according to the gestational age, duration of mechanical ventilation, and birth weight range (${\leq}100g$). Pulmonary hemorrhage was defined as the presence of hemorrhagic fluid in the trachea and severe respiratory decompensation. Results : Pulmonary hemorrhage occurred in 17 cases of very low birth weight infants (VLBW; birth weight < 1,500 g; median age, 3 days) and 22 cases of low birth weight infants (LBW; $1,500g{\leq}$ birth weight < 2,500 g; median age, 1 day). Antenatal maternal glucocorticoid treatment significantly reduced the incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage in VLBW infants. Low APGAR score (${\leq}3$ at 1 min) and acidosis at birth were associated with significantly high incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage in LBW infants. Conclusion : Antecedent factors and timing of pulmonary hemorrhage of LBW infants were different from those of VLBW infants. The mortality rates of VLBW and LBW infants were 88.2% and 45.5%, respectively. Pulmonary hemorrhage was the principal cause of death in 66.6% VLBW infants and 40.0% LBW infants.