Introduction:

Compared with term newborns, the morbidity and mortality rate in late prematurity is higher because of the specific borderline development of the different organ systems.

Objectives:

To describe the causes, clinical characteristics and determine the incidence and mortality rate of late preterm infants compared with term infants in a Neonatology Department.

Materials and Methods:

This was a retrospective analytical observational study, with non-probabilistic sampling of consecutive cases of late preterm infants, as well as the following term newborn, as obtained from clinical records for a 1/1 ratio.

Results:

During 2012, 2741 live births were born, 210 were premature newborns (7.6%). 61% of births were due to normal delivery in term newborns, and 60% in late preterm newborns (p = 0.003). There were 95/210 complications of late preterm infants (45%) and 11/210 of term infants (5%) with an OR of 14.9 (CI = 7-29, P <0.0001) . The most frequent complication was respiratory distress in 54/210 late preterm infants, as well as in 8/210 in term newborns; luminotherapy in 41/210 late preterm infants and 8/210 in term newborns. Significant differences were found in the presence of respiratory distress, OR 8.74, luminotherapy, OR 6, antibiotic therapy, OR 6, and admission to intensive care unit, OR 9,6. There were no significant differences in patient deaths (p = 0.29).

Conclusions:

Late preterm infants present higher morbidity than those born at term. The incidence of late preterm newborns was similar to that found worldwide. The most frequent associated cause was a high number of cesarean sections. Compared with term newborns, late preterm newborns developed a greater number of complications such as respiratory distress and light therapy requirements, and longer hospitalization time.

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