Neonatal Intensive Care at Borderline Viability???Is It Worth It?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reported survival rates for very preterm infants of borderline viability, particularly those less than 25 weeks of gestational age, have increased through the 1990s, but most of the figures come from single hospital studies. Survival rates from geographically defined regions are always lower because infants who later die are not usually excluded. This cohort study of consecutive live births was an attempt to detect incremental changes in long-term outcomes and use of resources for very preterm infants. Participants had been born at gestational age 23–27 weeks in Victoria, Australia, in the years 1991–1992 and 1997. The groups included 401 and 208 infants, respectively. They were com..