Outcome of inborn compared with outborn very low birth weight infants admitted to level 3 Malaysian nurseries. Neonatal Data Collection Group

To investigate whether a neonatal retrieval system would have any impact on the survival of infants < 1550g birthweight, data from the Malaysian Paediatric Association Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) study were analyzed. Inborns had a significantly better survival than outborns. Outborn babies had more hypothermia, were more likely to die from hypothermia, received more blood and plasma transfusions, more exchange transfusions, and had more infections. Length of stay was significantly longer for outborns. A neonatal retrieval system could reduce the mortality of VLBW babies as well as reduce length of stay, antibiotic usage, and blood product usage.