Unimpaired Outcomes for Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants at 18 to 22 Months

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to identify, among extremely low birth weight (≤1000 g) live births, the proportion of infants who were unimpaired at 18 to 22 months of corrected age. METHODS: Unimpaired outcome was defined as Bayley Scales of Infant Development II scores of ≥85, normal neurologic examination findings, and normal vision, hearing, swallowing, and walking. Outcomes were determined for 5250 (86%) of 6090 extremely low birth weight inborn infants. RESULTS: Of the 5250 infants whose outcomes were known at 18 months, 850 (16%) were unimpaired, 1153 (22%) had mild impairments, 1147 (22%) had moderate/severe neurodevelopmental impairments, and 2100 (40%) had died. Unimpaired survival rates varied according to birth weight, from CONCLUSIONS: Although <1% of live-born infants of ≤500 g survive free of impairment at 18 months, this increases to almost 24% for infants of 901 to 1000 g. Female gender, singleton birth, higher birth weight, absence of neonatal morbidities, private health insurance, and white race increase the likelihood of unimpaired status.