Preterm delivery: a single hospital experience

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate relation of preterm delivery with mother´s age, premature rupture of amniotic sac, number of spontaneous vaginal deliveries or Cesarean sections (C-sections), Apgar score in the first and the fifth minute, as well as birth weight of newborns. Methods: The study was retrospective, comparative, and data were obtained at the Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Clinical Centre Sarajevo for the period from October 2013 through February 2014. The sample was divided into two groups based on the timing of delivery: preterm delivery group (before 37th week of pregnancy) and term delivery group (after 37th week of pregnancy). The standard methods of descriptive statistics and the univariate analysis were performed. Results: Univariate analysis showed that there was no significant association of mother´s age with preterm delivery (OR=1.02, CI: 0.94, 1.10; p=0.72). Rupture of fetal membranes was 4.53 (OR=4.53, CI:1.95, 10.51, p<0.001) while C-section was 9.8 (OR=9.80, CI: 3.34, 36.14; p<0.001) times more frequent in preterm compared to term delivery group. Severely depressed Apgar score (0-3) was 84% (OR=1.84, CI: 1.01, 03.35; p=0.046) more frequent in the first and 52% (OR=1.52, CI: 0.72, 2.98; p=0.29) more frequent in the fifth minute after preterm compared to term delivery. Low birth weight (<2500g) was associated with preterm delivery group (OR=3.78, CI: 1.75, 9.33, p<0.001). Conclusion: Significant association of preterm deliveries with rupture of fetal membranes, C-section, severely depressed one-minute Apgar score (0-3) and low birth weight was documented. Keywords: premature membranes rupture, Apgar score, Cesarean section