Mortality risk after neonatal seizures in very preterm newborns

We analyzed clinical and instrumental data of 403 consecutive newborns with gestational age from 24 to 32 weeks, admitted to the University-Hospital of Parma between January 2000 and December 2007, to evaluate the possible relationship between neonatal mortality and occurrence of neonatal seizures in very preterm newborns. Seventy-four subjects died during hospital stay. Seizures were present in 35 neonates, in whom the mortality rate was 37.1%. Multivariate analysis revealed that birth-weight <1000 g (odds ratio: 4.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.47-13.68; P < .01), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (odds ratio: 5.35; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-23.98; P = .02), and moderately and severely abnormal cerebral ultrasound scan findings (odds ratio: 2.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-6.05; P < .04; odds ratio: 9.56; 95% confidence interval: 3.45-26.51; P < .01, respectively) were related to the in-hospital mortality but not the presence of neonatal seizures. Our study suggests that neonatal seizures alone are not an independent risk factor for early death in very preterm newborns.