Purpose To determine the demographic characteristics of the newborns with respiratory difficulties, frequency of neonatal disease, analyze of the prognostic factors and effectiveness of treatment who were hospitalized in NICU of our hospital between 2008 and 2009.

Methods In this study, file records of the newborns who were hospitalized in NICU of Selcuk University, Meram Medical School were analyzed retrospectively.

Results Of the 771 newborns, 225 who admitted due to respiratory distress in 2008 and of the 692 newborns, 282 who admitted due to respiratory distress in 2009.Mean birth weight was 1954±972gr in 2008, and 2140±1009gr in 2009. Mean pregnancy weeks were 32.4±5.0 in 2008 and 33.4±4.9 in 2009. Diagnosis of patients were sepsis (77.8%), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (40.4%), pneumothorax (20.9%), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (12.4%), meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) (6.2%), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (5.3%), pneumonia (3.6%), retinopathy of prematurely (ROP) (3.1%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (2.7%) and transient tachypne of newborn (TTN) (2.2%) in 2008. In 2009, percentage of the diagnosis was 69.5% sepsis, 33.3% RDS, 17.0% PDA, 16.0% pneumothorax, 10.3% pneumonia, 8.2% IVH, 6% TTN, 5.3% BPD, 3.2% MAS and 3.2% ROP. 33.7% of the patients were died in 2009 and 43.6% of them in 2008.

Conclusion The newborns with respiratory distress who admitted to the hospital must be evaluated according to the pregnancy week, way of birth and accompanying problems during first examination and convenient transportation of the ones who need to be cared in advanced center where an intensive care support can be applied to decrease mortality and morbidity of newborns distress.