Abstract:Objective To investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of neonatal respiratory failure (NRF) in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, in 2010. Methods The clinical data of all NRF cases inthe hospitals of Huai'an in 2010 were prospectively collected and analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods.Results Among 60 986 live births in Huai'an in 2010, there were 556 (0.91%) cases of NRF. The average birth weightof newborns with NRF was 2 433±789 g, with 53.8% determined as low birth weight and 64.1% as preterm. The majorcauses of NRF were respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, asphyxia, sepsis, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Among thenewborns with NRF, 23.7% were accompanied by certain birth defects. Fourteen percent of newborns with NRF received pulmonary surfactant (PS) therapy, and the median time of the first dose of PS was 5 hours (range:0-51 hours). Nasalcontinuous positive airway pressure treatment, conventional mechanical ventilation, and high-frequency ventilation wereused in 67.9%, 33.3%, and 13.7% of patients, respectively. The cure and improvement rate of NRF patients was 73.9%(411/556), and the mortality rate was 22.5% (125/556). The average hospitalization expenses were 9 270 (range:196-38182) Yuan. Conclusions High morbidity, high mortality and high medical costs make NRF a serious challenge in Huai'an. It is essential to improve the quality of perinatal care and develop new techniques and new models in neonatal respiratory therapy in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of NRF.