Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 25, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Equations to support predictive automated postnatal growth curves for premature infants

W R Riddle1, S C DonLevy, X F Qi

  • 1Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Medical Center North, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232-2675, USA. bill.riddle@vanderbilt.edu

Journal of Perinatology : Official Journal of the California Perinatal Association
|May 12, 2006
PubMed

Insights

This study provides essential growth chart equations for premature infants, crucial for monitoring health in neonatal intensive care units. These tools aid in tracking infant development and identifying potential health issues early.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Health
  • Growth Monitoring

Background:

  • Growth charts are vital in pediatrics for assessing infant health and nutritional status.
  • Established reference data exists for term infants, but not for premature infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
  • Current predictive methods for preterm infants are difficult to implement with traditional tools.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the lack of established growth data for premature infants.
  • To develop practical tools for monitoring preterm infant growth.
  • To present mathematical equations for predicting key growth parameters in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Review of published perinatal growth curves.
  • Derivation of mathematical equations for growth prediction.
  • Focus on postnatal weight, head circumference, and length.

Main Results:

  • Equations for predicting postnatal weight in preterm infants.
  • Equations for predicting head circumference in preterm infants.
  • Equations for predicting length in preterm infants.

Conclusions:

  • The derived equations provide a foundation for creating electronic preterm growth charts.
  • These tools can improve the monitoring of health and development in NICU populations.
  • Facilitates better assessment of nutritional and general health status for premature infants.

More Related Videos

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable09:24

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable

Published on: May 17, 2024

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model08:03

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model

Published on: November 4, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Survival Curves01:18

Survival Curves

Survival curves are graphical representations that depict the survival experience of a population over time, offering an intuitive way to track the proportion of individuals who remain event-free at each time point. These curves are widely used in fields such as medicine, public health, and reliability engineering to visualize and compare survival probabilities across different groups or conditions.
The Kaplan-Meier estimator is the most common method for constructing survival curves. This...
Bacterial Growth Curve01:28

Bacterial Growth Curve

The bacterial growth curve is a fundamental concept in microbiology that describes the dynamics of bacterial population growth in a closed system with controlled environmental conditions, such as temperature and nutrient availability. This curve is divided into four distinct phases: lag, log (exponential), stationary, and death phases, each reflecting a unique stage of bacterial adaptation and growth. During the lag phase, bacteria acclimate to their surroundings by synthesizing essential...
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns01:29

Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns

Microorganisms exhibit diverse oxygen requirements and growth patterns driven by their metabolic strategies and environmental adaptations. Oxygen, while essential for many organisms, can also be toxic under certain conditions, shaping how microorganisms grow and survive.Oxygen Requirements of MicroorganismsMicroorganisms are classified based on their ability to use or tolerate oxygen:● Obligate aerobes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis need oxygen for energy production, as it serves as the...
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth01:26

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is the relative...
Rate of Change: Problem Solving01:26

Rate of Change: Problem Solving

Temperature-Dependent Growth of Brook TroutThe growth of brook trout is closely influenced by water temperature. Experimental data demonstrate how trout weight changes over a 24-day period in response to varying water temperatures. At lower temperatures, such as 15.5 degrees Celsius, brook trout show significant weight gain. However, as the temperature increases, the amount of weight gained steadily decreases. At the highest temperature measured, 24.4 degrees Celsius, trout experience a net...
Modeling with Differential Equations01:25

Modeling with Differential Equations

Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...