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Survival pattern among extreme preterm infants
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Child Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al-Khoud, Muscat, PO Box 38, Postal Code 123, Sultanate of Oman. shabihman@hotmail.com.
Insights
Omani preterm infants born between 23-26 weeks gestation had a significantly lower survival rate (41%) compared to Western countries. This highlights a critical need for improved neonatal intensive care for extremely premature infants in Oman.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Perinatal Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Extreme preterm infants (23-26 weeks gestation) represent a vulnerable population with significant survival challenges.
- International comparisons of survival rates are crucial for identifying disparities in neonatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the survival patterns of extremely preterm Omani infants (23-26 weeks gestation).
- To compare the survival rates of Omani preterm infants with those reported in Western countries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 32 extremely preterm Omani infants admitted to Sultan Qaboos University Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (November 1991 - February 1998).
- Data collected included gestational age, birth weight, sex, and survival outcomes.
- Infants were stratified by gestational age for survival rate analysis.
Main Results:
- The overall survival rate for the Omani cohort was 41% (13 out of 32 infants).
- Omani infants at 26 weeks gestation had a 44% survival rate compared to an average of 61% in Western countries.
- Lower survival trends were observed for Omani infants at 23-24 weeks gestation.
Conclusions:
- Omani extremely preterm infants exhibit a significantly lower survival rate compared to international benchmarks.
- There is an urgent need to enhance management protocols and care quality for extremely preterm infants in Oman.
- Further research and targeted interventions are essential to improve outcomes for this high-risk group.
Objective:
To look at the survival pattern of extreme preterm Omani infants (23-26 weeks gestation) and compare it with the western countries.
Methods:
All extreme preterm Omani infants (gestational age of 23 to 26 weeks) admitted from November 1991 to February 1998 at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital were reviewed. The detailed records of the infants, including name of mother, age, gravidity, parity, route of delivery, Apgar score, time of birth, inborn or outborn, birth weight, gestational age, sex, need for resuscitation, course in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, admission and discharge diagnosis, and outcome were collected from the register. The infants were stratified according to the gestational age and then analyzed for the survival rate among the different gestational ages.
Results:
A total of 32 extreme preterm infants were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital from November 1991 to February 1998. The mean birth weight of the cohort was noted to be 798+123 gram (Range 480-1015 grams). The mean gestational age was noted to be 25.5+0.95 weeks (Range 23-26 weeks). An equal number of males and females were noted in the cohort, with male to female ratio of 1:1. A total of 13 infants survived out of 32 infants. The overall survival rate for the cohort was noted to be 41%. For the present study, the western statistics are averaged and than compared with the Omani statistics. The survival rate for western 26 week preterm infants was (on average) 61% as compared to 44% among Omani preterm infants. The same trend of low survival was noted for 23 and 24 week Omani infants, except for only one 25 week infant.
Conclusion:
The significant lower survival rate suggests the need for more attention and improvement in the management and care provided to the extreme preterm Omani infants.