Survey of death cases in neonatal intensive care unit, Iwate Medical University Hospital General Perinatal Maternal and Child Medical Center

• Published in: Journal of Japan Society of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 479 - 485
• Main Authors: Tsunokake, Kazune, Toya, Yukiko, Akasaka, Manami, Sotodate, Genichiro, Tsuchiya, Shigekuni, Matsumoto, Atsushi, Konishi, Yu, Takashimizu, Nao, Abe, Shizuka, Suzuki, Kounosuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine 2022; 一般社団法人 日本周産期・新生児医学会
• Subjects: mortality rate; neonatal intensive care unit
• ISSN: 1348-964X; 2435-4996
• DOI: 10.34456/jjspnm.58.3_479

Objective: While advances have been made in neonatal care in Japan, regional disparities exist in neonatal mortality. We investigated the actual situation of perinatal medical care at our hospital and clarified the issues for Iwate Prefecture. Methods: Subjects were newborns admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit from January 2008 to December 2017 who died in the hospital. Classifications of very low birth weight, chromosomal abnormalities, congenital heart diseases, other congenital anomalies, and other congenital anomalies with congenital heart diseases were applied. Clinical courses were retrospectively examined from the medical records. Result: No consistent trend was seen in the proportion of hospitalizations in each group. The mortality rate has declined since 2010. The proportion of very low birthweight infants among deaths decreased, but that of chromosomal and other congenital abnormalities increased. The mortality rate of very-low-birthweight infants after 2012 matched the national average, coinciding with an increase in the number of neonatologists. Discussion: In addition to advances in neonatal care, a relationship appears to exist between decreases in mortality rates and improvements in medical systems such as telemedicine. We consider that the main factors that contribute to improved mortality are stable medical resources. A smooth transition to home medical care for infants with medical care is an important problem to solve.