An Immature Science: Intensive Care for Infants Born at ≤23 Weeks of Gestation

The gestational age boundary separating infants considered too immature for intensive care from infants who may benefit has shifted dramatically during the past 50  years. In 1971, a widely used neonatology textbook stated that “The lower limit of viability is probably around 28 weeks, at which time most infants weigh two pounds, four ounces (1000 g).”1 Today, the most immature infants routinely cared for by neonatologists in some parts of the world are born at 22 or 23 weeks of gestation, with many weighing less than a pound.

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - March 6, 2021 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Matthew A. Rysavy, Katrin Mehler, Andr é Oberthür, Johan Ågren, Satoshi Kusuda, Patrick J. McNamara, Regan E. Giesinger, Angela Kribs, Erik Normann, Susan J. Carlson, Jonathan M. Klein, Carl H. Backes, Edward F. Bell Tags: Medical Progress Source Type: research