Health Care : Current Reviews

Periviable birth: Results in tertiary hospital, review of the literature and role of neonatal nurse

Joint Webinar: 8^th World Summit on Neonatal Nursing and Pediatrics Healthcare & 9^th International Conference on Mental Health and Psychiatry

May 22, 2023 | Webinar

Evangelia Papathoma* and Eirini Loukatou

Alexandra General Hospital, Greece

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Health Care Curr Re

Abstract:

Statement of the problem: Over the last 2 decades, advances in neonatal management and medical technology led to the improvement of the survival rates of infants born at < or = 28 weeks of gestation; however, available data on survival rates and outcomes of babies born at the threshold of viability from 22 to 25+6 weeks of gestation display wide variation by country. The commitment and striving for their care has complex medical, social and ethical implications, while decision-making is a crucial issue that involves the infant, the family and the health care providers. Methodology and Theoretical orientation: Retrospective analysis of collected data of infants born between 22+0 and 25+6 weeks gestation to a level III neonatal intensive care unit, as well as review of the literature regarding guidelines, decision and principles to treat or not and parental involvement. Findings: There were multiple causes of death for these babies, including immaturity, very low birth weight, respiratory distress syndrome, early onset neonatal infection, pneumothorax, necrotizing enterocolitis. Birth weight was an important factor for survival. Findings of literature review to be analyzed as well. Conclusion and Significance: Increased survival rate during the past years is consistent with the continuous improvement in quality of maternal, delivery and newborn care. Providing resuscitation and care in periviable babies is a clinically and ethically complex issue. Decisions made by the clinicians, should ideally be based in medical and ethical reasons and should be consistent with parents’ wishes, without forgetting to act as the baby’s advocate when needed. Neonatal nurses have a vital role in the assessment, management and care of these babies and therefore they face the challenges on obtaining specialized skills and knowledge and training on the latest techniques and technologies so as to provide the best possible care.