Swedish national study reports improved survival for extremely preterm infants

doi:10.1136/bmj.b2341

Published 9 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2341
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2341

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Swedish national study reports improved survival for extremely preterm infants

Janice Hopkins Tanne

¹ New York

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

More than two thirds (70%) of babies born alive before 27 weeks’gestation survive to one year, according to a prospective, threeyear national study in Sweden (JAMA 2009;301:2225-33, doi:10.1001/jama.2009.771).

"The most important finding in this study is the high survivalof extremely preterm infants born alive," the authors say. Theone year survival was 9.8% for babies born at 22 weeks, 53%at 23 weeks, 67% at 24 weeks, 82% at 25 weeks, and 85% at 26weeks. Of babies surviving to one year, 45% had no serious morbidity.

Preterm births are increasing worldwide, and neonatal intensivecare can save even extremely immature babies, said the leadinvestigator, Karel Mar $s$ ál, of Lund University Hospital.He was speaking at a media briefing on child health organisedby JAMA in New York last week.