Abstract:

With the development of perinatal and neonatal medicine in China, as well as the improvement of the overall willingness to treat extremely preterm infants (gestational age <28 weeks, EPI), the number of them has increased. As a result, EPI has become the leading cause of neonatal death in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). According to the experience of foreign developed countries, with the improvement of China's social and economic development level, the proportion of EPI in NICU deaths will be further increased. Therefore, the EPI care is and will remain an important and challenging issue in the future. Reducing the mortality risk of EPI depends on the establishment and improvement of perinatal medical centers, neonatal medical centers and professional neonatal transport systems, the implementation of comprehensive management programs for preterm infants, the integration of prenatal, intrapartum and postnatal factors, and comprehensive obstetric and neonatal cooperation.

Key words: etiology of death, neonatal intensive care unit, extremely preterm infant