Surfactant era (1990-2002) 2-year outcomes of infants less than 1500 g from a Community Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
OBJECTIVE
To report Bayley scores of 572 twenty-four-month corrected age infants whose birth weights (BWs) were less than 1500 g cared for in a Community Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) between 1990 and 2002 when surfactant was routinely used.


METHODS
Survival, "normal" defined as both Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI)>84, MDI>69 and MDI>84 were analyzed by gestational age (GA) and BW. Comparisons were made between infants born pre- and post-1996 when high-frequency oscillatory ventilation came into frequent use, Medicaid and non-Medicaid infants, multiples and singletons, outborn and inborn infants, boys and girls and infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and those appropriate for gestational age (AGA).


RESULTS
There was a correlation between GA and BW and improving outcomes. Scores do not approach those of normal standardization sample populations (60% for "normal", 68% for MDI>84 and 95% for MDI>69) until 1400 g and 30 weeks. Medicaid, outborn and IUGR infants, and boys did worse in some aspects.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a correlation between both GA and BW and improving outcomes. Availability of these developmental data on a laminated pocket card can facilitate presentation of outcome experience to families by pediatric and obstetric caregivers.
Conom
D Heicher
DH
Department of Neonatology, Good Samaritan Hospital, 2425 Samaritan Drive, San Jose, CA 95124, USA. Conommd@aol.com
Thomas
C
C
Evans
J
J
Tan
K I
KI
D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000523:psychology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006612:High-Frequency Ventilation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants