OĞUZHAN BAŞERDEM, COŞKUN ARMAĞAN, KEVSER ASENA ÇAKAN BAŞERDEM, FUNDA ERDOĞAN, NURAY DUMAN, HASAN ÖZKAN
The Journal of Pediatric Research - 2025;12(2):66-74
Aim The proportion of late preterm babies, defined as neonates born between 34+0/7 and 36+6/7 weeks of gestation, among the total number of babies born is increasing due to increasing technological possibilities and changing maternal factors in modern life. While attention is paid to preterm babies, ignoring these babies as term babies results in increased morbidity and mortality. This causes a significant burden on the health system, especially in places like our country where the number of births is high. However, this burden can be reduced with more care and less cost in late preterm babies as opposed to preterm babies. Materials and Methods In this retrospective cohort study, all late preterm infants admitted within the first 28 days of life over a five-year period were evaluated. Maternal and neonatal data were collected from patient records. Infants were classified into 3 groups to emphasize differences between gestational ages (34, 35 and 36 gestational weeks). RESULTS Four hundred twenty-one infants were analyzed, and hyperbilirubinemia was the most frequent complication (47.5%), followed by respiratory difficulties (33.7%) and sepsis (24.2%). Infants delivered at 34 weeks showed a higher incidence of respiratory complications and required longer hospital stays than those born at 35 and 36 weeks. Moreover, differences in the occurrence of hypoglycemia and feeding intolerance further emphasized the unique vulnerability of the youngest subgroup. CONCLUSION Even within the late preterm category, distinct morbidity patterns exist based on gestational age. The findings underscore the necessity for tailored clinical management strategies to address the specific risks faced by the younger late preterm infants. Future studies should focus on refining care approaches and examining long-term outcomes in this population.
