Premature Infant
Alternate Names : Preemie, Preterm Infant
Premature Infant Prognosis (Expectations)
Prematurity was formerly a major cause of infant deaths. Improved medical and nursing techniques have increased the survival of premature infants. A greater chance of survival is associated with increasing length of the pregnancy. Of babies born at 28 weeks, approximately 80% survive.
Prematurity is not without long-term effects. A large proportion of premature infants have medical problems that persist into childhood or are permanent. As a rule, the more premature an infant, and the smaller the birth weight, the greater the risk of complications. It must be stressed, however, that it is impossible to predict the long-term outcome for an individual baby merely on the basis of gestational age or birth weight.
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