Meeting the needs of our smallest survivors

Issue highlights June 2022

“…Just over a half of the children (55%) required habilitation support. Neil Marlow comments on the findings 2 …”

Decisions at the limit of viability

“…Being born at GA 22 and 23 weeks means months of intensive care, many weeks intubated on mechanical ventilation and countless painful procedures. Although we do not know the life course consequences, most of the survivors will probably experience significant health, social and quality of life challenges, as discussed by Neil Marlow in relation to the follow‐up paper on the Swedish cohort 7 …”

“…Although we do not know the life course consequences, most of the survivors will probably experience significant health, social and quality of life challenges, as discussed by Neil Marlow in relation to the follow-up paper on the Swedish cohort. 7 At the limit of viability, it is ethically challenging to weigh the burden of treatment and risks of death and severe impairments against the chance of experiencing an independent life without major health problems. Decisions should reflect accepted moral norms and priorities, which may differ between societies, and guidelines should ideally reflect the people's perception of what is morally acceptable and what is in the best interest of the child and family.…”