Extreme preterm survival and short term outcomes study

Abstract

Background: Advances in perinatal care have aided in the steady rise in survival rate among extreme preterm babies. Babies in periviable age often pose a serious challenge to medical practitioners and parents alike. Aim: To examine the trend of survival and short term morbidities among the extreme preterm babies over the study period Methods: A retrospective study in which data was collected for a period of last five years. Detailed evaluation of medical records of babies admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was done. Results: There were 107 infants included in the study. Survival rates of preterm term during the study period was stable. Infants with a higher gestation had higher survival rates (p = 0.009). More number of survivors were noted among preterm with higher birth weight categories (p = 0.001). BPD and sepsis were most prevalent morbidity seen among the preterm babies. More cases of BPD were noted among infants less than 26 weeks of age (0.001). Conclusion: A systematic approach by a multidisciplinary team with active participation of the parents will help in making judicious decisions pertaining to ideal medical management of extreme preterm babies.