Delivery mode and severe intraventricular hemorrhage in single, very low birth weight, vertex infants.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between delivery mode and grade 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage in singleton, vertex presenting, very low birth weight (VLBW) (1,500 g or less) liveborn infants.

METHODS: The Israel National VLBW Infant Database includes perinatal and neonatal data on greater than 99% of all VLBW newborns. A total of 4,658 singleton vertex-presenting infants born at 24-34 weeks were included (1995-2004). Infants with lethal congenital malformations, delivery room deaths, and home deliveries were excluded. Our population-based observational study evaluated the effect of delivery mode and confounding variables on severe intraventricular hemorrhage using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS: The rate of severe intraventricular hemorrhage was 10.4%. Cesarean delivery rate was 54.3%. The rate of severe intraventricular hemorrhage was 7.7% for infants delivered by cesarean compared with 13.6% in vaginal delivery (P<.001). However, analysis according to gestational age showed that the rate of severe intraventricular hemorrhage was similar in cesarean and vaginal delivery in all gestational age groups. In the multivariable model, cesarean delivery had no effect on the odds for severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR] 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-1.24). Other factors independently associated with severe intraventricular hemorrhage included gestational age (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.68-0.75 for each week increase), maternal hypertensive disorder (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.30-0.61), no antenatal steroids (OR 2.70, 95% CI 2.12-3.45), 1-minute Apgar score 0-3 (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.33-2.21), delivery room resuscitation (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.65-2.83), and non-Jewish ethnicity (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.03-1.59).

CONCLUSION: In this population-based study, the odds for severe intraventricular hemorrhage were not influenced by mode of delivery in vertex-presenting singleton VLBW infants after controlling for gestational age.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.