Objective:

To describe the frequency and causes of in-hospital death in neonates admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), according to the weeks of gestational age (WGA), over a period of two years.

Material and methods:

This is a descriptive study, which was performed with the review of clinical records of newborns admitted to the NICU. Days of hospital stay, discharge condition and causes of death were recorded. The analysis was performed with mortality rates per 100 admissions, according to the WGA.

Results:

Of 600 admitted newborns, 21 died. Thus, the overall mortality rate was 3.5 [95% CI 2 - 4.9]. While by gestational age, the highest mortality rate was in newborns < 28 WGA (22, 95% CI 9 to 36), followed by neonates from 29 - 33 WGA (3.8, 95% CI 1 to 6.1), and 27 - 41 WGA (2.8, 95% CI 0 - 5), being the lowest for those of 34 - 36 WGA (1.1, 95% CI 0 to 2). Severe sepsis was the most frequent cause of death in all groups.

Conclusion:

Hospital mortality rates described herein are within the values of other similar NICUs. In the future, the main challenge should focus on improving the survival of newborns with a lower gestational age.

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