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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Annual audit of three year outcome in very low birthweight infants
1Mersey Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Liverpool Maternity Hospital.
Insights
Survival rates for infants with very low birth weight improved, but major disabilities and cerebral palsy remained unchanged. However, the combined outcome of death or major disability significantly decreased during the study period.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Pediatric Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Infant survival rates have historically been a concern for very low birth weight infants.
- Advancements in neonatal care aim to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in survival and major disabilities, including cerebral palsy, for infants weighing less than 1500 g.
- To assess changes in the combined outcome of death or major disability over a decade.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1499 infants with birth weight <1500 g admitted between 1980-1989.
- Calculation of annual odds ratios, standardized for confounding variables, to examine outcome trends at 3 years of age.
Main Results:
- Improved survival rates were observed during the study period.
- The odds of survival with major disability or cerebral palsy did not change significantly.
- A significant reduction in the likelihood of dying or surviving with a major disability was noted.
Conclusions:
- While overall survival improved, the rates of major disability and cerebral palsy in very low birth weight infants remained a persistent challenge.
- Interventions during the 1980s effectively reduced the combined risk of mortality and severe disability.
Abstract:
Annual odds ratios, standardised for known confounding variables, were used to examine trends in outcome at 3 years of age among 1499 infants of less than 1500 g birth weight admitted to a regional referral centre between 1980 and 1989. Despite improved survival, the chance of survival with a major disability or with cerebral palsy was unchanged. The likelihood of dying or surviving with a major disability significantly reduced during the decade.
