Survival and major disability rate in infant born at 22-25 weeks of gestation

Abstract

Our aim was to evaluate the literature on survival and major disability rate in preterm infants born at 22- 25 weeks of gestational age (GA). Thirty-three studies were identified and reviewed. Survival was lower in population-based studies (2% at 22, 13% at 23, 35% at 24, and 56% at 25 weeks) than in center-based study (15% at 22, 41% at 23, 58% at 24, and 74% at 25 weeks). The severe disability rate was slightly higher in population-based studies than in center-based studies at 23 (29 vs. 32%) and at 24 (30 vs. 27%) week of GA, whereas it was similar in population and center-based studies at 25 (21 vs. 22%) weeks of GA. Survival rate seems to improve with time, whereas the change of severe disability rate cannot be adequately evaluated due to the paucity of available data. We conclude that the survival of infants born at 22 weeks is still an uncommon event, whereas the survival of infants born at 23, and mostly at 24 and 25 weeks of GA is significant in the majority of studies.