title: Prediction of outcome in 164 infants born after 24 to 28 weeks gestation.
abstract: Between 1984 and 1987 164 infants born after 24 to 28 completed weeks were admitted to our unit. In 6 children respirator treatment was withdrawn between days 6 and 57 mainly on the basis of severe intracranial bleeding and periventricular leucomalacia. Among 102 (62%) surviving infants, 18 (18%) had a major handicap (cerebral palsy, IQ less than 50, blindness) at follow-up, in 6 of the 18 (6%) there was a combination of several major handicaps. We conclude that we can still not reliably predict serious handicap and we are therefore faced with a serious ethical dilemma which we think can best be approached in a trust-relationship between parents and staff.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eg-Andersen
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D003657:Decision Making; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012151:Resuscitation; D015996:Survival Rate