OBJECTIVE To describe parents' method of adaptation to the problems of caring for a very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infant at home. DESIGN Exploratory, involving three interview sessions, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months after hospital discharge of a VLBW infant. SETTING A newborn intensive-care unit in a tertiary-care center. PARTICIPANTS Fourteen parents of VLBW (< 1,500 g) infants after ho...

UNLABELLED A prospective follow-up of very low birth weight infants (VLBW) with (n = 89) and without (n = 71) bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and Term control children (n = 93) was conducted at 8 years of age. Groups were compared on measures of articulation, receptive and expressive language, verbal and performance IQ, oral motor skills and gross and fine motor skills. The BPD group demonstra...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Pneumothorax is common in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. In our NICU, we noted an above average incidence of pneumothorax compared with similar NICUs based on Vermont Oxford Network benchmarking. The quality improvement project was designed to decrease the incidence of pneumothorax in VLBW infants in a tertiary care NICU. METHODS The project was divided into 2 ...

BACKGROUND Being born preterm with very low birthweight (VLBW ≤ 1500 g) poses a risk for cortical and subcortical gray matter (GM) abnormalities, as well as for having more psychiatric problems during childhood and adolescence than term-born individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cortical and subcortical GM volumes and the course of psychiatric disorders ...

Background: The relationship between premature birth and early cognitive function as measured by eye-tracking data remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of prematurity on the development of object permanence and attention capacity using eye-tracking measures. Methods: We prospectively studied very low birth weight (VLBW < 1500 g) preterm infants who were admitted...

BACKGROUND Very-low-birth-weight (VLBW, <1,500 g) infants have compromised bone mass accrual during childhood, but it is unclear whether this results in subnormal peak bone mass and increased risk of impaired skeletal health in adulthood. We hypothesized that VLBW is associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in adulthood. METHODS AND FINDINGS The Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weig...

Background: Mortality and morbidity among low birth weight babies are a major public health problem in our country. The objective of care is to protect these infants from these hazards in the first days and weeks of life. It is important to identify risk factors associated with LBW & VLBW. Objective: The present hospital based clinical prospective study was designed to investigate the factors a...

AIM To determine whether neurological deficits are associated with structural anomalies of the brain in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants with subsequent learning disorders but without cerebral palsy, or whether other factors, such as poor early growth, are responsible. METHODS Eighty seven VLBW infants and eight term controls who had been examined at school between the ages of 12 and 13 ye...

BACKGROUND The incidence of congenital heart defects, reported to be 5-8/1000 in term infants, is not well established in very low birth weight infants. OBJECTIVES To establish the incidence of congenital heart defects in VLBW infants in the neonatal intensive care unit of our institution. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the population in the NICU at our institution was performed. VLBW ...

OBJECTIVE To compare severity and determinants of stress and coping in mothers of 8-year-old very low birth weight (VLBW) and term children varying in medical and developmental risk. STUDY DESIGN Three groups of mothers/infants were prospectively compared in a longitudinal study from birth to 8 years (110 high-risk VLBW, 80 low-risk VLBW, and 112 term). Maternal psychological distress, coping...