Aims & Objectives: Neonatal near miss (NNM) is defined as an indicator that includes any event occurred from birth to twenty-eighth day of life, which puts a newborn inside an imminent threat to its life and requires intervention to avoid death. It has a multifactorial causality, and medical delays gets a lot of attention among it; in addition, increases neonatal mortality. In brazil, NNM was first described as an indicator in public health. Methods: Retrolective study at the University Hospital of Santander in 2,013 to characterize the cases of MNE, describing the sociodemographic and care characteristics of patients with extreme neonatal morbidity, identifying their outcomes, calculating the indicator itself, estimating neonatal mortality and evaluating delays in care. Results: Neonatal near miss (NNM) rate was 59 per thousand live births and mortality of 13.9 per thousand live birth and like the findings described in Brazil. The most important variables regarding fatal outcomes were under 1,500 grams, mechanical ventilation, Apgar less than 7 at 5 minutes, congenital malformations. Health care delays in mothers were predominantly type I, defined as poor prenatal care. In infants, were mainly found type IV delays, indicating issues about institutional care protocols. Conclusions: The Neonatal near miss (NNM) is an indicator useful for public health, that highlights the failures in maternal and neonatal care; In addition, it can be improved with greater adherence to existing strategies such as prenatal control and institutional protocols.