Respiratory distress in newborn infants in Western Switzerland

Abstract

Aim

To assess epidemiological data about respiratory distress (RD) in newborn infants hospitalized in Western Switzerland.

Methods

During 1 year, two questionnaires were sent out to the seven neonatal and pediatric units of a well-defined geographic region in Switzerland. Data about their obstetrical activity and details about all newborn infants hospitalized with RD were collected, asking for pre-, peri-, and postnatal clinical data in association with RD.

Results

Almost 6% of all newborn infants born in the Canton of Vaud had to be hospitalized for RD. All newborn infants below 32 weeks of gestational age (GA) had developed RD, accounting for 14.6% of all neonates, hospitalized with RD, whereas the moderate to late preterm infants contributed with 36.8% much more to the RD hospitalizations. Associated factors to hospitalizations with RD were prematurity, cesarean delivery, and multiple births.

Conclusions

Efforts should be made to reduce avoidable RD by reconsidering the management of pregnancies with premature rupture of the membranes around 34 weeks of GA and by delaying elective cesarean sections after 39 completed weeks of gestation.

Keywords:

• Cesarean section
• neonatology
• newborn infant
• preterm infant
• respiratory distress
• term infant
• RDS

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr A. Zemmouri (Morges), Dr J. Pilloud (Yverdon), Dr E. Pythoud (Payerne), Dr P. Diebold (Aigle), Dr M.A. Panchard (Vevey), and Dr S. Coeytaux (Nyon) for providing clinical data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.