Table 2.
Characteristics of 178 infant deaths with medical record information, by district, 2004-2006
| Variable | Messina (N = 70) | Palermo (N = 108) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | |||
| Gestational age | |||
| Term | 10.3 | 17.2 | 0.25 |
| Preterm | 89.7 | 82.8 | |
| Residency | |||
| City | 42.9 | 51.8 | 0.24 |
| Suburbs | 57.1 | 48.2 | |
| Type of delivery | |||
| Spontaneous | 27.1 | 19.4 | 0.41 |
| Caesarean | 47.1 | 53.7 | |
| Not Specified | 25.7 | 26.8 | |
| Malformations | |||
| Yes | 25.7 | 43.1 | 0.02 |
| No | 74.3 | 56.9 | |
| Birth weight | |||
| <1500 Very Low Birth Weight | 64.5 | 60.8 | 0.96 |
| 1500-2499 Low Birth Weight | 14.5 | 21.5 | |
| >2500 Normal Weight | 21 | 17.7 | |
| Cause of death categories | |||
| Respiratory diseases | 12.9 | 13 | 0.02 |
| Congenital Cardiac diseases | 14.3 | 16.7 | |
| Other malformations and congenital pathologies | 8.6 | 24.1 | |
| Preterm and prematurity | 44.3 | 21.3 | |
| Cerebro-vascular anomalies | 10 | 11.1 | |
| Others (sepsis, cancer, etc) | 10 | 13.9 | |
| Maternal Age | |||
| <25 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 0.02 |
| 25-29 | 11.4 | 12.4 | |
| 30-34 | 34.3 | 17.4 | |
| 35-39 | 14.3 | 7.3 | |
| > = 40 | 14.3 | 3.9 | |
| Not Specified | 7.9 | 14.0 | |
| Neonatal Intensive Care Unit | |||
| Presence* | |||
| Yes | 89.7 | 78.6 | 0.06 |
| No | 10.3 | 21.4 | |
| Admission to | |||
| Yes | 97.1 | 90.1 | 0.13 |
| No | 2.9 | 9.9 | |
*Presence of the NICU in the hospital of delivery