Clinical Evolution of Labor and Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnancies Resulting in the Birth of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants: A Retrospective Study

Background. Extremely low birth weight (ELBW; less than 1000 g) is associated with substantial obstetric and neonatal challenges. Describing the course of pregnancies resulting in ELBW births may help characterize outcomes in a perinatal care setting. Objective. To describe maternal characteristics, delivery and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies resulting in the birth of infants with ELBW. Methods. This single-center, retrospective, descriptive observational study reviewed maternal and neonatal medical records for 80 deliveries at Municipal Clinical Hospital “Gheorghe Paladi” during 2020–2025. Maternal characteristics and neonatal outcomes were summarized descriptively. Survival to hospital discharge was evaluated in all 80 live-born infants, whereas neonatal morbidity was assessed only among the 42 survivors. Results. Mean maternal age was 31.36 ± 5.18 years and mean gestational age at delivery was 25.96 ± 1.32 weeks. Maternal complications occurred in 41 women (51.25%), including hypertensive disorders (28.75%) and infections during pregnancy (20.0%). Emergency cesarean delivery occurred in 49 cases (61.25%). Of 80 live-born infants, 42 (52.5%) survived to discharge and 38 (47.5%) died before discharge. Respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal septicemia and intraventricular hemorrhage were frequently reported among survivors. Of the 42 survivors, 36 had neonatal infections, comprising 32 bacterial and four fungal cases, reported by the authors as nonoverlapping. Conclusions. The cohort illustrates extreme prematurity and substantial neonatal morbidity. Because the study was descriptive and neonatal complications were analyzed among survivors only, these results do not establish independent predictors of neonatal outcomes.