Maternal and newborn characteristics admitted in an intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the characteristics of mothers and newborns admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Method: retrospective, documentary and quantitative. Census sample with 125 medical records of newborns admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit of a regional hospital in Piauí, between 2017 and 2018. Data were collected using a structured form and analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0. The research had ethical consent, opinion no. 2,817,447. Results: Most mothers of newborns were between 20 and 34 years old, lived in a stable relationship, had completed high school, were housewives and came from municipalities surrounding Floriano. They had a single pregnancy, with more than five prenatal consultations, and a gestational age of up to 36 weeks. The percentage of cesarean sections was equal to that of normal births. Most newborns were male, brown, with adequate birth weight. A significant percentage of newborns required cardiopulmonary resuscitation and oxygen therapy. The most prevalent admission diagnosis was Respiratory Discomfort Syndrome, followed by prematurity. Conclusion: The neonates presented risk variables of morbidity and mortality, which succinctly alert conditions for the monitoring of diseases and direct actions aimed at the prevention of health risks in this age group.