WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Timing of birth in very low birth weight infants appears to have very little effect on the incidence of morbidity and mortality, according to a study published online July 19 in Pediatrics.

Edward F. Bell, M.D., of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues analyzed outcomes for 11,137 low birth weight infants (501 to 1,250 g) in a national registry for 2001 to 2005. The researchers assessed the mortality rate, short-term morbidities, and neurodevelopmental outcomes to see if they differed for infants born at night, on weekends, during July or August (the beginning of the academic year), or before and after resident duty-hour restrictions were implemented.

The researchers discerned no difference in the mortality rate and no impact on the risks of short-term morbidities associated with the timing of birth, with minor exceptions. The risk of retinopathy of prematurity increased somewhat after the introduction of resident duty-hour restrictions (relative risk [RR], 1.22), and the risk of retinopathy of prematurity necessitating operative treatment was lower for infants born late at night than those born during the day (RR, 0.84). There was a slightly lower risk of hearing impairment or death among infants born in July or August (RR, 0.92 for both), but otherwise birth timing had no impact on neurodevelopmental outcome.

"In this network, the timing of birth had little effect on the risks of death and morbidity for very low birth weight infants, which suggests that staffing patterns were adequate to provide consistent care," the authors write.

Abstract
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