[Question raised by the limits of viability in extremely preterm infants]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
1Service de médecine néonatale de Port-Royal, centre hospitalier Cochin-Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, 75014 Paris. pierre-henri.jarreau@cch.aphp.fr
Insights
Advances in perinatology enable routine care for extremely preterm infants. This discussion covers medical and ethical considerations for intensive care, including viability limits and long-term outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy and Perinatal Medicine
- Medical Ethics
- Bioethics
Context:
- Routine care for extremely preterm infants is now feasible due to advances in perinatology.
- The increasing survival rates of extremely preterm neonates necessitate a re-evaluation of care practices.
- Ethical dilemmas surrounding the initiation and withdrawal of intensive care for these vulnerable infants are prominent.
Purpose:
- To discuss the medical and ethical challenges associated with intensive care for extremely preterm babies.
- To define the population at the limits of viability.
- To examine the long-term results of medical interventions and associated ethical questions.
Summary:
- Recent perinatology advancements allow routine care for extremely preterm infants.
- The paper addresses medical issues and ethical questions regarding the initiation and withdrawal of intensive care.
- It also considers the population at the limits of viability, long-term outcomes, and resulting ethical concerns.
Impact:
- Provides a comprehensive overview of the complexities in managing extremely preterm infants.
- Informs clinical decision-making regarding the limits of viability and intensive care.
- Contributes to the ongoing ethical discourse in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
Abstract:
Recent advances in perinatology allow to take care routinely of extremely preterm babies. Medical problems as well as ethical questions raised by initiation and withdrawal of intensive care of these infants are discussed here. Successively are considered what population is concerned by the so-called limits of viability, the long-term results of the medical interventions and the ethical questions resulting of them.
