Australian paediatric journal
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Medical records of all 483 infants live-born at 24-32 weeks' gestation in our hospital during the years 1982-86 were reviewed in order to determine postnatal age at time of death for those who died in the first year after birth. Twenty-seven died from immaturity without receiving intensive care and 11 died from lethal congenital malformations. Eighty (18%) of the remaining 445 who received intensive care died: 31% on day 1, 45% on days 2-7, 12% on days 8-28 and 11% on days 29-365. ⋯ In each gestational age range, the majority of hospital admission days were occupied by survivors (24-25 weeks = 62%; 26-27 weeks = 91%; 28-29 weeks = 91%; 30-32 weeks = 99%) rather than non-survivors. Whilst postneonatal mortality is a significant concern, these data suggest that if infants born at less than 33 weeks' gestation are offered intensive care and survive the early neonatal period, the long-term outcome is more likely to be survival rather than delayed death. Furthermore, the majority of hospital admission days invested in such infants involves those who will be discharged home rather than those who will not.