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Outcomes of infants with a birthweight less than or equal to 500 g in Northern England: 15 years experience
Author(s) -
Gillone Jenna,
Banait Nishant,
Miller Nicola,
Ward Platt Martin,
Harigopal Sundeep
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14024
Subject(s) - medicine , retinopathy of prematurity , intensive care , pediatrics , gestation , cohort , resuscitation , gestational age , birth weight , neonatology , cohort study , intensive care medicine , pregnancy , emergency medicine , genetics , biology
Aim We aimed to evaluate mortality and short‐term neonatal morbidity of babies born ≤500 g cared for in the Northern Neonatal Network over a 15‐year period. Method Using regional databases, we identified all live‐born babies ≥22 weeks gestation and ≤500 g, in North East England and North Cumbria from 1998 to 2012. We quantified major neonatal morbidities and survival to one year. Results We identified 104 live‐born babies ≥22 weeks gestation and ≤500 g (birth prevalence 0.22/1000), of which 49 were admitted for intensive care. Overall one‐year survival was 11%, but survival for those receiving intensive care was 22%. There was significant short‐term neonatal morbidity in survivors, in particular retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease. Conclusion Survival of babies born weighing ≤500 g in this cohort remains poor despite advances in neonatal care, with considerable short‐term neonatal morbidity in survivors. This could be due to a combination of attitudes and a rather conservative approach towards resuscitation and intensive care, and the intrinsic nature of these tiny babies.