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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
07:36
Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
[Extreme prematurity--medical and social problem].
Akusherstvo I Ginekologiia
|March 5, 2010
Summary
Survival rates for extremely preterm newborns improved due to advances like assisted ventilation and surfactant therapy. However, this progress has not reduced long-term health issues or disabilities in these vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Perinatology
- Public Health
Context:
- Improved survival rates for extremely preterm infants (born at 25 or fewer weeks gestation) since the early 1990s.
- Advances in assisted ventilation and surfactant therapy have contributed to better outcomes.
- World Health Organization (WHO) redefined the perinatal period starting at 22 weeks gestation in 1993.
Purpose:
- To examine the impact of improved survival rates on morbidity in extremely preterm newborns.
- To discuss the medical, social, and ethical challenges associated with managing infants at the threshold of viability.
- To address the complexities of decisions regarding elective delivery and intensive care for preterm infants.
Summary:
- Survival rates for extremely preterm infants have increased due to medical interventions like assisted ventilation and surfactant therapy.
- Despite improved survival, there has not been a corresponding decrease in morbidity or long-term disabilities.
- The increasing risk of disability or death with decreasing gestational age presents significant ethical and management dilemmas.
Impact:
- Highlights the critical need for strategies to reduce morbidity in extremely preterm infants, not just improve survival.
- Raises important questions about the ethical considerations of intensive care and delivery decisions for borderline viable neonates.
- Informs clinical practice and policy regarding the management of high-risk pregnancies and preterm births.
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