Clinics in perinatology
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Clinics in perinatology · Jun 1982
ReviewIntrapartum monitoring and management of the low birth weight fetus.
All physicians responsible for the care of gravidae at high risk for preterm labor and delivery must be expert in the management of these pregnancies. Only a fraction of women who present in labor remote from term are candidates for long-term tocolysis. Whatever treatment regimen is utilized, the clinician must be familiar with their risks as well as their benefits. ⋯ For the very low birth weight infant presenting as a breech, abdominal delivery is recommended. It is important that the uterine incision, regardless of type, be large enough to allow for nontraumatic delivery of the infant. If greater improvements in the survival and outcome of low birth weight infants are to continue, it is mandatory that there be close collaboration not only between obstetrician and pediatrician, but also between all physicians and nursing staff who care for this group of high-risk patients.