OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical epidemiological characteristics of neonatal respiratory failure in 1,108 neonates, and to provide a reference for improvement in clinical treatment and multicenter clinical studies.

METHODSThe clinical data of 1,108 neonates with respiratory failure were collected with questionnaires, and statistical analysis was performed for the epidemiological indices including primary diseases, clinical therapeutic methods, treatment outcome, and fatality.

RESULTSIn all the neonates with respiratory failure, the median gestational age was 37 weeks+1 day, the median birth weight was 2,600 g, the median age in days on admission to neonatal intensive care unit was 0.71 days (17 hours), and the boy/girl ratio was 3.1:1. The major primary diseases were respiratory distress syndrome (30.51%), pulmonary infection/sepsis (23.55%), and wet lung (13.18%). Of all the neonates, 48.64% received nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP), 12.81% received high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, 13.45% received pulmonary surfactant, and 8.66% received nitric oxide inhalation therapy. The fatality was 24.19%.

CONCLUSIONSThe major primary disease for neonatal respiratory failure is respiratory distress syndrome. Pulmonary surfactant, nCPAP, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, and nitric oxide inhalation therapy are major therapeutic methods for neonatal respiratory failure, but neonatal respiratory failure still has a high fatality.