@article{3050557,
    title = "Outcome prediction in Greek neonatal intensive care units using a score
for neonatal acute physiology (SNAP)",
    author = "Petridou, E and Richardson, DK and Dessypris, N and Malamitsi-Puchner, A and and Mantagos, S and Nicolopoulos, D and Papas, C and Salvanos, H and and Sevastiadou, S and Sofatzis, J and Trichopoulos, D",
    journal = "PEDIATRIC INVESTIGATION",
    year = "1998",
    volume = "101",
    number = "6",
    pages = "1037-1044",
    publisher = "AMER ACAD PEDIATRICS",
    doi = "10.1542/peds.101.6.1037",
    keywords = "score for neonatal acute physiology (SNAP); international performance;
predictive power; neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)",
    abstract = "Objectives. This study was undertaken to evaluate the performance of the
score for neonatal acute physiology (SNAP) in Greece, to examine the
predictive power of SNAP calculated during the 12 hours after admission
in comparison with customarily calculated SNAP during the first 24
hours, and to assess SNAP during the second 12 hours from admission as a
measure of response to treatment.
Methodology. A total of 579 newborns admitted to three neonatal
intensive care units (NICUs) from two cities in Greece were enrolled in
the study; SNAP was determined during the first 12 hours, the second 12
hours, and the first 24 hours from admission to the NICU and calculated
using an algorithm based on deviations from normal values of 26
physiologic parameters.
Results. All three variants of SNAP were powerful predictors of vital
status at discharge, as well as of duration of stay among survivors. A
five-point increase in SNAP in the first 12 hours corresponds to a more
than twofold ratio in the odds for death, whereas a five-unit difference
in SNAP from the second 12 hours corresponds to a more than threefold
ratio. The combined 24-hour score was similar to that for the first 12
hours. A considerable advantage of SNAP was its independence from more
traditional predictors of neonatal death, notably gestational age, birth
weight, and Apgar score. The combination of all of these predictors
improved further the overall predictive potential.
Conclusions. SNAP is a useful tool in medical research and can be
applied in different population groups. Its independence from birth
weight underlines its added value to predict fatality ratios. Moreover,
the results of the present study indicate that SNAP can be estimated
without loss of predictive efficiency during the first 12 hours from
admission to the NICU, whereas SNAP during the second 12 hours
adequately reflects the effectiveness of early medical interventions."
}