[Study of the effectiveness of clinical risk index for babies].

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the clinical risk index (CRIB) for the prognosis survival of newborns with low birth weight. The examined group consisted of 69 newborns who were admitted to the Clinical Department of Neonatal Pathology and Intensive Care at the National Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw. The newborn babies were of less than 31 Hbd gestational age and less than 1501 g birth weight. The group of newborns was divided into 3 subgroups according to the level of the CRIB index. Gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, use of prenatal steroids, introduction of surfactant supply and newborn survival were estimated. The CRIB score proved to be useful in anticipating the survival of newborns with critically low birth weight. The higher the CRIB score, the lower was the expectation for survival. The close relation of the CRIB score with gestational age, birth weight and Apgar score was proved. The indication for introduction of surfactant depends both on the newborn's clinical condition and on the CRIB score as well.