Background: One of the most common methods of identifying mortality risk is the Clinical Risk Index for Babies scoring system (CRIB- II). The aim of this study was assessing the value of CRIB- II in predicting mortality risk in preterm and low birth weight infants in East Azerbaijan- Iran.
Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was carried out in 2013-2014 during 6 months in NICUs of Alzahra, Taleqani and Children hospitals of Tabriz-Iran. All infants ≤ 32 weeks’ gestational age or ≤ 1500gr birth weight were included in the study using consecutive method. After calculating CRIB- II score, the infants were followed up at 3 months of age and their outcome was determined. The data was analyzed using SPSS-13, t- test, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and area under curve (AUC) and relative risk (RR).
Results: Of total 215 infants, 64 infants (29.7%) died in the hospital and one infant (0.4%) died after discharging from the hospital. 150 (68.8%) infants, were alive at 3 months age follow up. The mean of CRIB- II score in the group of dead infants was higher and statistically significant compared to the group of alive infants (P<0.05). The prediction power of CRIB- II was determined at 8.5 cut off point regarding the outcome of infants. Based on AUC, the CRIB- II score predicted 83% of mortality rate in infants (confidence interval =76-90).
Conclusion: Findings indicated the notable power of CRIB- II in predicting infants’ mortality, so it can be used as a simple and reliable tool to prioritize the interventions in Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICUs).