Australian & New Zealand Neonatal Network 1994

Abstract

This is the first report of the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network and presents information on the network's 1994 audit of high risk neonates.

In 1994, the cohort for data collection was all liveborn infants who were admitted to a hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and who were also born at less than or equal to 1500 grams. Twenty-two of the 29 NICUs in Australia and New Zealand contributed data in the first year, and not all units collected all variables. These data should be regarded as a pilot year, and the findings interpreted with caution. All NICUs have agreed to contribute data from 1995. Continued data collection will ensure accurate and detailed information is available for the parents and clinicians of these infants, for other health professionals and for the general community.

There were 2,723 infants who met the ANZNN criteria admitted to the contributing NICUs in 1994. Of these infants, 2,447 were less than 32 weeks' gestation and 2,165 were less than or equal to 1500 grams.