Periviable birth: A review of ethical considerations

Advances in perinatology and medical technology have pushed the limits of viability to unprecedented extremes, leading to a growing population of NICU "graduates" with a wide range of health issues. Although survival rates from 22 weeks of gestation onwards have improved over the last 30 years, the incidence of disabilities remains the same. Providing intensive care to a high-risk population with significant mortality and morbidity raises the fundamental conflict between sanctity and quality of life. Potential severe handicap and need for frequent tertiary care inevitably impact the whole family unit and may outweigh the benefit of survival. The aim of this study is to explore and summarize the ethical considerations in neonatal care concerning perivable birth.

Eligible studies published on PubMed were included after a systematic search using the PICO methodology.

Forty-eight studies were systematically reviewed regarding guidelines, withholding or withdrawing treatment, parental involvement, and principles applied in marginal viability. As periviable birth raises an array of complex ethical and legal concerns, strict guidelines are challenging to implement.

Active life-sustaining interventions in neonatology should be balanced against the risk of putting infants through painful and futile procedures and survival with severe sequelae. More evidence is needed on better prediction of long-term outcomes in situations of imminent preterm delivery, while good collaboration between the therapeutic team and the parents for life-and-death decision-making is of utmost importance. HIPPOKRATIA 2021, 25 (1):1-7.