Clinical Profile of Late Preterm Neonates Admitted to a Tertiary Care NICU

Abstract

Introduction: In a study conducted at tertiary care center, Bangalore, a total of 144 late preterm neonates were studied. The majority of the neonates were born with a birth weight of more than 2 kg, and the study found that 28.33% of late preterm infants developed one or more com - plications leading to a hospital stay of more than 7 days. Most of the neonates required intrave - nous infusions, antibiotics, and were subjected to investigations for sepsis. In a study by Shapiro Mendoza et al, 22.8% of late preterms experienced at least one complication that could lead to prolonged hospital stay. Methods: Late preterm infants are at high risk for neonatal morbidities, including neonatal hy - perbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy, respiratory distress, sepsis, and feed intolerance. The