Presence of Obstetric Risk Factors in a Late Preterm Newborn Group Compared to Full-Term Newborn

Background: Early neonatal sepsis is a systemic infection, presenting up to 72 hours after birth, usually associated with maternal risk factors, and remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. It affects premature newborns (NB), the latter being the most vulnerable group, of which the late premature infants (born between 34 and 36 weeks and 6 days) represent about 70% of the total.

Objective: To identify the presence of obstetric risk factors for early neonatal sepsis in two different groups of neonates, full term and late preterm infants in a reference maternity hospital.

Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study involving all newborns with gestational age above 34 weeks, born between February 1 and June 6, 2016 in the maternity hospital of the Alcides Carneiro Teaching Hospital. Data collected in structured form and previously tested.

Results: The incidence of late prematurity was 8.8%, out of a total of 898 births. The presence of neonatal sepsis was higher in the group of preterm infants (16.5%) than in term infants (2.2%). The obstetric risk factors associated with early neonatal sepsis were: rupture of ovary membranes, preterm labor, chorioamnionitis, bag turnover time> 18 hours, vaginosis. Regarding urinary tract infection during pregnancy, this study found 29.35% between the term NB and 5.96% at the time of delivery, whereas in the late PMT 40.5% and 11.39%, respectively.

Conclusions: The mistaken similarity between late preterm newborn and full-term newborn leads us to the fact that they are approached without a differentiated look, which places them in conditions of marked risk and consequently increasing the incidence of morbidity and mortality. Thus, the increased attention to the prevention of severe diseases that these may present should be the focus of both pre and post natal care.