School entry age outcomes for infants with birth weight ≤ 800 grams.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the mortality and long-term morbidity rates of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).


METHODS
This was a longitudinal cohort study of all admissions born between 1983 and 2003 with birth weight ≤ 800 g at a single tertiary NICU. Trends in survival and neurodevelopmental outcome rates at school entry in four 5-year epochs were analyzed.


RESULTS
Of 917 admissions, 552 survived to NICU discharge, with significantly increasing survival rates from 46% in epoch 1 to 71% in epoch 4 (P < .0001). Although the overall impairment rate of 30% did not change, the pattern of impairments did. Cognitive (P = .017) and hearing (P = .014) impairment rates increased. Visual impairment rates decreased (P = .042), with a trend toward decreasing cerebral palsy from 20% to 12% (P = .061).


CONCLUSIONS
Improved survival of low birth weight preterm infants has been associated with different types of neurodevelopmental impairments, including increased cognitive impairment rates.
Synnes
Anne R
AR
Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. asynnes@cw.bc.ca
Anson
Shelagh
S
Arkesteijn
Astrid
A
Butt
Arsalan
A
Grunau
Ruth E
RE
Rogers
Marilyn
M
Whitfield
Michael F
MF
D000367:Age Factors; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015996:Survival Rate