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“How Small Is Too Small?” in Japan 1983
Author(s) -
Nishida Hiroshi,
Sakanoue Masamichi,
Ishizuka Yuugo
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1986.tb00716.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , intervention (counseling) , mortality rate , demography , intensive care medicine , nursing , physics , sociology , optics
Along with the advancement of neonatal medicine, “how small is too small?” for the neonate to survive and for the physician to intervene becomes important. On the basis of recent data on very small neonates in Japan, we present our approach to this subject. The overall mortality rate of neonates weighing less than 1,000 gm was 55% and their incidence of major neurological handicaps was 6.6%. There was a clear difference between mortality rates of neonates weighing above and below 700 gm, which were 34% and 80% respectively, but their morbidity rates were more or less the same. The current record of the smallest neonate to survive in Japan is 444 gm. Therefore “how small is too small?” in the 1980's in Japan will be around 700–1,000 gr for generalized socio‐medical agreement for active intervention and around 400–500 gm for individualized decision‐making for possible survival.