PEDIATRICS Vol. 4 No. 4 October 1949, pp. 454-460
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by BAIN, K.
Right arrow Articles by PENNELL, M. Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by BAIN, K.
Right arrow Articles by PENNELL, M. Y.

HOSPITAL FATALITY RATES FOR PREMATURE INFANTS

KATHERINE BAIN M.D.1, JOHN P. HUBBARD M.D.2, and MARYLAND Y. PENNELL M.Sc. HYG.3

1 The Division of Research, Children's Bureau, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D.C.
2 American Academy of Pediatrics Study of Child Health Services, Philadelphia, Pa.
3 The Division of Public Health Methods, Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D.C.

Data are presented from about half of the hospitals in the United States caring for 50 or more premature infants a year. In these hospitals there were about 600,000 births during 1946.

The incidence of prematurity, using as the definition of a premature infant one that was born alive weighing 2,500 gm. or less, was 6.1%. For white infants it was 5.6% and for nonwhite 9.5%.

The fatality rate for the group born in the hospital was 21.5% and for those born outside, 36.6%.

The close relation between survival and weight at birth is shown.

For nonwhite infants the fatality rate was higher than for white infants—27.7% for the group born in the hospital and as contrasted with 24.5, and 43.9 for those born outside as contrasted with 31.5.

There is need for better hospital records and for more comprehensive data on survival among premature infants.

Submitted on December 22, 1948