Gabriela Magyarová, František Bauer, Andrea Hrdlíková, Eva Radvanská, Klaudia Demová, Eva Prističová
Neonatal mortality represents 40 % of deaths of children at the age under 5 years, worldwide. Deaths associated
with prematurity are the second leading cause of mortality of children under 5 years. Neonatal mortality in Slovakia
represents more than half of deaths during the first year of life. Our work analyses the most common causes of neonatal
deaths in terms of etiology, weight, level of care and the care provided by regional perinatal centres in the Slovak
Republic for a period of 12 years. Over the past decade neonatal mortality has been gradually declining to a level
around 3 ‰. During this period the neonatal mortality was determined mainly by congenital malformations, perinatal
asphyxia with its consequences, and by mortality of preterm infants with birth weight under 1 500 g. For to further
reduction of neonatal mortality it is crucial to maintain and improve centralization, to reduce inter-regional disparities,
improve prenatal diagnosis of birth defects and reduce the numbers of babies dying due to congenital anomalies,
asphyxia and to reduce the mortality of preterm infants under 1 500 g.