Journal Article

Causes and Timing of Death in Extremely Premature Infants from 2000 through 2011

Carlo, Waldemar A, Van Meurs, Krisa P, Higgins, Rosemary D, Hale, Ellen C, Sánchez, Pablo J, Walsh, Michele C, Ball, M. Bethany, Kandefer, Sarah, Bell, Edward F, Shankaran, Seetha, Stoll, Barbara J, Newman, Nancy S, Das, Abhik, Patel, Ravi M, Laptook, Abbot R

2015

Overview

This study of temporal trends in mortality among extremely premature infants receiving care in U.S. centers showed declines in overall mortality and in deaths from pulmonary causes, immaturity, infection, and CNS injury. Deaths from necrotizing enterocolitis increased. Although survival among premature infants has improved, prematurity is a leading contributor to neonatal mortality in the United States. 1 Approximately one in four extremely premature infants born at 22 to 28 weeks of gestation does not survive the birth hospitalization; mortality rates decrease with each additional week of completed gestation. 2 Historically, most extremely premature infants died within a few days after birth. 3 – 5 Among extremely-low-birth-weight infants born at centers in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network between 1993 and 1997, immaturity was the leading cause of death within 12 hours after birth, and . . .

• Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
• Subject: Cause of Death / Central nervous system / Congenital Abnormalities - mortality / Data processing / Dysplasia / Enterocolitis, Necrotizing - mortality / Family counseling / Gastrointestinal diseases / Gestational Age / Humans / Infant / Infant mortality / Infant Mortality - trends / Infant, Extremely Premature / Infant, Newborn / Infant, Premature, Diseases - mortality / Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Infants / Mortality / Necrosis / Necrotizing enterocolitis / Neonates / Newborn babies / Premature babies / Premature birth / Respiratory distress syndrome / Risk Factors / United States - epidemiology