Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Outcomes for the extremely premature infant: what is new? And where are we going?
Charlene M T Robertson1, Man-Joe Watt, Irina A Dinu
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. charlene.robertson@capitalhealth.ca
Insights
Outcomes for extremely premature infants are improving, with better survival rates and reduced rates of cerebral palsy, vision, and hearing loss. Intellectual impairment remains a challenge, but new research shows promise.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Perinatal Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Survival rates for extremely premature infants have increased.
- Early childhood outcomes for these infants are a growing concern.
- Long-term follow-up data is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature (2004-2007) on outcomes for extremely premature infants.
- To assess the 30-year outcomes at the authors' institutions.
- To identify trends and future directions in the care and assessment of premature infants.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of publications from 2004 to 2007.
- Retrospective analysis of 30-year outcome data from institutional records.
- Synthesis of findings to project future research and clinical practice.
Main Results:
- Improving early childhood outcomes are documented alongside increased survival.
- Cerebral palsy rates as low as 19 per 1000 live births for infants born at 20-27 weeks gestation.
- Vision and hearing loss affect fewer than 1% of survivors; intellectual impairment rates are stable but show promise with interventions like caffeine therapy.
Conclusions:
- Recent data suggests a more positive outlook for extremely premature infant survivors.
- Future intensive care trials will aim to further reduce adverse outcomes.
- Childhood assessments will increasingly focus on functional abilities and participation, informing parental decision-making and expanding multicenter research.
Abstract:
Two approaches were taken to determine what is new and where we are going in terms of outcomes for the extremely premature infant: publications from 2004 to 2007 were reviewed, and the 30-year outcome at the authors' institutions was assessed. Recent literature documents improving early childhood outcomes in the face of improved survival. Childhood cerebral palsy prevalence rates have been reported to be as low as 19 per 1000 live births for infants born at 20-27 weeks gestation. Vision and hearing loss have been reported in fewer than 1% of survivors. The rate of overall intellectual impairment has not improved, although impairment was reduced in a recent trial of caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity, and this remains an important area for study. In sum, recent findings herald a more positive perspective on the outcome for extremely premature survivors. It can thus be expected that new intensive-care trials will attempt to reduce the proportion of survivors with adverse outcomes. Childhood assessments will have a greater focus on function and participation. Information on improved outcomes for preterm infants will inform guidelines of decision making used to help parents to determine what is best for their child. The audit component of follow-up studies will expand and more cohort and trial studies will become multicenter, national, and international.
