Prediction of survival for preterm births

doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7235.647

BMJ 2000;320:647 ( 4 March )

Letters

Prediction of survival for preterm births

Survival table was not easy to understand

Curve presents information on survival and morbidity more clearly than tables

Data on the quality of survival are needed

Survival table was not easy to understand

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ The article by Draper et al deserves further comment.¹ The objective of the study was to produce current data onsurvival of preterm infants, yet theirs was a retrospective studyfor 1994-7. Since it is now 1999 we believe that their data, albeituseful, are recent rather than current. Antenatal administrationof steroids to the mothers was not mentioned as one of the additionalfactors affecting infants'survival.

As a neonatologist and two mothers of extremely premature babies we do not find the tables described in the paper easy tounderstand. Draper et al may be interested in our paper publishedlast month, which describes a table giving outcome for parentsof babies at less than 28 weeks of gestation.² This table containsinformation on survival rates, and also short term complicationsand treatment of the most recent cohort of such babies. This tablecould be unit based, updated annually, and . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Zupancic, J A F, Kirpalani, H, Barrett, J, Stewart, S, Gafni, A, Streiner, D, Beecroft, M L, Smith, P (2002). Characterising doctor-parent communication in counselling for impending preterm delivery. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 87: F113-117 [Abstract] [Full text]
Draper, E. S, Manktelow, B., Field, D. J, James, D. (2000). Prediction of survival for preterm births. BMJ 321: 237-237 [Full text]