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With the development of medicine and technology, it became possible to save the life and health of preterm infants, whose organisms are characterized by significant immaturity and maladaptation to external conditions.
Premature babies are all babies born after 22 weeks of gestation and before 37 weeks of gestation. Their appearance differs from that of full-term newborns: they have a small body weight (less than 2500 grams), thin skin through which blood vessels are visible (newborns are pink only dark red), poorly developed subcutaneous tissue, smooth, not covered with fluff skin, poorly developed, not very springy auricle. Due to the immaturity of all systems, premature babies are much more exposed than term babies to complications of the perinatal and neonatal period, and the lower the body weight of the newborn and the earlier the pregnancy ends, the greater the risk. These complications include:
– respiratory distress syndrome (a form of respiratory failure, is the most common cause of death in premature babies)
– bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Preterm retinopathy, which can lead to blindness
– intracranial and periventricular bleeding
– necrotizing enterocolitis
From birth, premature babies require intensive neonatal care, first of all, they are placed in a specialized incubator, ensuring a sufficiently high temperature (36 degrees Celsius) and humidity, in which the newborn matures sometimes even for several months. Treatment, depending on the child’s condition, also includes the administration of a surfactant and the use of artificial ventilation (using a respirator or less invasive methods), phototherapy for prolonged jaundice, ophthalmological checks at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of age, and when advanced lesions are found. in the retina, the use of laser therapy.
Although preterm infants are at a much greater risk of death, blindness, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy than full-term infants, fortunately most of them develop normally.
Read also: Endangered eyes of premature babies
Cerebral Palsy
med. Aleksandra Czachowska
The best pediatrician