Abstract

Background: Preterm birth is one of the leading and direct causes of newborn mortality. The aim of this was to study complications and follow-up outcomes of preterm infants hospitalized in Ardabil city hospital in 2016. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 73 preterm babies at Ardabil city hospital in 2016. The research-based checklist included demographics, and the outcome data were completed through the infant’s examination and by studying hospital files. Collected data were analyzed by statistical methods in statistical package for the social sciences v.19. Results: The rate of mortality was 21.2%, and the rate of developmental disorders (DD) was 26.2%. The main preterm infant’s problems were respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and ICTER, respectively. There was a significant inverse relation between gestational age (GA) and birth weight with the rate of mortality and developmental disorders. The relationship between sex and mortality rate was not significant. There was a significant relation between DD with RDS, age of infants, weight and round head of infants in 6 months. Conclusion: Results showed that preterm infants are at risk for DD and mortality in comparison with full-term infants. Hence, specialized care for them is essential in the future.

Key words: Preterm, mortality, developmental disorder, follow-up.