Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 1 , Pages 8-15 , February 2008

Infants of borderline viability: Ethical and clinical considerations

  • Malcolm Chiswick

      Affiliations

    • University of Manchester, UK
    • Saint Mary's Hospital for Women and Children, Manchester, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Highclere, Parkfield Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2BT, UK. Tel.: +44 0 161 928 8579; fax: +44 0 161 929 5564.

References 

  1. Higgins RD, Delivoria-Papadopoulos M, Raju TNK. Executive summary of the workshop on the border of viability. Pediatrics. 2005;115:1392–1396
  2. Hansen BM, Greisen G. Preterm delivery and calculation of survival rate below 28 weeks of gestation. Acta Paediatr. 2003;92:1335–1338
  3. Larroque B, Bréart G, Kaminski M, et al. Survival of very preterm infants: Epipage, a population based cohort study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2004;89:F139–F144
  4. Field D, Petersen S, Clarke M, Draper ES. Extreme prematurity in the UK and Denmark: population differences in viability. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2002;87:172–175
  5. Costeloe K, Hennessy E, Gibson AT, Marlow N, Wilkinson AR EPICure Study Group. The EPICure Study: outcomes to discharge from hospital for infants born at the threshold of viability. Pediatrics. 2000;106:659–671
  6. Marlow N, Wolke D, Bracewell MA, Samara M EPICure Study Group. Neurologic and developmental disability at six years of age after extremely preterm birth. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:9–19
  7. Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Dilemmas in current practice: babies born at the borderline of viability. Critical Care Decisions in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine: Ethical Issues. November 2006, p. 67–87.
  8. Tommiska V, Heinonen K, Lehtonen L, et al. No improvement in outcome of nationwide low birth weight infant populations between 1996–1997 and 1999–2000. Pediatrics. 2007;119:29–36
  9. Marlow N. Outcome following extremely preterm birth. Curr Obstet Gynecol. 2006;16:141–146
  10. Lagercrantz H. The emergence of the mind – a borderline of human viability. Acta Paediatr. 2007;96:327–328
  11. Annas GJ. Extremely preterm birth and parental authority to refuse treatment – the case of Sidney Miller. N Eng J Med. 2004;351:2118–2123
  12. Iams JD, Mercer BM National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal–Fetal Medicine Units Network. What we have learned about antenatal prediction of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Semin Perinatol. 2003;27:247–252
  13. Payot A, Gendron S, Lefebvre F, Doucet H. Deciding to resuscitate extremely premature babies: how do parents and neonatologists engage in the decision?. Soc Sci Med. 2007;64:1487–1500
  14. Bastek TK, Richardson DK, Zupancic JAF, Burns JP. Prenatal consultation practices at the border of viability: a regional survey. Pediatrics. 2005;116:407–413
  15. Keenan HT, Doron MW, Seyda BA. Comparison of mothers' and counselors' perceptions of predelivery counselling for extremely premature infants. Pediatrics. 2005;116:104–111
  16. Greisen G. Managing births at the limit of viability: the Danish experience. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2004;9:453–457
  17. Hansen BM, Hoff B, Greisen G, Mortensen EL Danish ETFOL study group. Early nasal continuous positive airway pressure in a cohort of the smallest infants in Denmark: neurodevelopmental outcome at five years of age. Acta Paediatr. 2004;93:190–195

PII: S1744-165X(07)00114-X

doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2007.09.007

Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 1 , Pages 8-15 , February 2008

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