• Anna S Kostelanetz and Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy.
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.
• J Perinatol. 2004 May 1; 24 (5): 279-83.

ObjectiveTo assess whether advances in neonatal care in the last decade have altered the outcome of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Study DesignMedical records of all VLBW infants (n=283, body weight (BW)=1066+/-281 g, gestational age (GA)=28.3+/-2.9 weeks) admitted to the NICU between 1999 and 2002 were reviewed.ResultsIn all, 29 (10.25%) infants received CPR in the NICU. Only one of these infants survived. After adjusting for GA, the clinical variables significantly associated with the need for CPR in the NICU were (adjusted odds ratio; 95% CI): pulmonary hemorrhage (7.89; 3.06 to 20.28), pulmonary air leak syndrome (23.90; 7.58 to 75.4), and delivery by Cesarian section (0.26; 0.1 to 0.66). The results were similar when the data were reanalyzed matching the 28 infants in the CPR group with 28 infants of identical GA in the non-CPR group.ConclusionsSurvival rate for the infants who require CPR in the NICU remains extremely poor. This poor outcome needs to be discussed with parents and the option of the "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order may be appropriate for these infants, especially for those infants with multiple organ failure unresponsive to therapy.

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