Improved survival of ventilated neonates with modern intensive care.

The records of 909 infants who required mechanical ventilation over a 42-month period were reviewed; 68.3% of the infants survived. The highest survival rate was in infants with persistent fetal circulation and hyaline membrane disease, and the lowest in infants with congenital anomalies and miscellaneous diseases. The survival rate for each year of the 3 1/2-year study increased from the previous year. There was also a dramatic increase in the survival rate in infants with a birth weight greater than 1,250 gm.