(Reuters Health) – Among the tiniest preemies, black and Hispanic infants are more likely than white babies to be born at hospitals with worse death and complication rates, a study in New York City suggests.
In the study of 7,177 very preterm infants born at 39 hospitals citywide, 28 percent of the babies died or experienced serious complications. Compared to white infants, however, black preemies were almost twice as likely to die or have severe health issues, while the odds were about 50 percent higher for Hispanic babies.
