Survival graphs for preterm infants would help counselling

About 1.5% of pregnant women deliver their baby at a time when survival is possible but problems of prematurity are likely to be profound. Parents in this situation most commonly ask if the baby will survive. Data on survival are sparse as most published series are affected by confounding factors such as referral bias, small sample size, and populations that are not generalisable. On p 1093 Draper et al provide survival curves for preterm infants by birth weight and gestation for two specific clinical situationsthe outcome of both infants known to be alive at the onset of labour and those admitted alive to a neonatal unit. The effects of sex, ethnic origin, and multiple birth, all of which have a significant impact on outcome, were also explored.

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Relevant Article

Prediction of survival for preterm births by weight and gestational age: retrospective population based study

Elizabeth S Draper, Bradley Manktelow, David J Field, and David James
BMJ 1999 319: 1093-1097. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]