Cesarean delivery and respiratory distress in late preterm and term infants

Preterm delivery is the most important determinant of infant morbidity and mortality. In most countries late-preterm birth accounts for 74% of all premature births. We conducted a retrospective study of 1244 late preterm infants and 3814 term infants. The files contained maternal demographic characteristics, gravidity, medical complications in pregnancies, labor and delivery complications, mode of delivery and infant's characteristics. in the study group there were 49.2% girls and 50.8% boys. 2982 (52.2%) infants were born by cesarean section. 71.8% of late preterm infants and 41.5% of term infants were born by cesarean section. Late preterm infants were born by cesarean section more frequently than term infants (p < 0.001). The Apgar score in late preterm infants delivered by cesarean section was lower than in vaginally delivered late preterm infants. RDS (respiratory distress syndrome) was diagnosed in 15.3% of late preterm and 2.7% of term infants (p < 0.001). The risk of RDS in cesarean deliveries decreased with advancing weeks of gestation (p < 0.001). cesarean delivery increases infants' respiratory distress syndrome in late preterm and term infants.