VERY-LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT INFANTS - OUTCOME IN A SUB-ARCTIC POPULATION

Objective: To evaluate the outcome for very low birthweight (VLBW) inf ants in northern Norway. Subjects and Methods: All live born infants ( n = 536) with birthweight less than or equal to 1500 g born during 197 8-89 to women residing in the northern health region of Norway were st udied retrospectively. Data were from the Medical Birth Registry (MBR) , hospital records and from follow-up recordings to 4 y of age at mate rnal and child health centres. Stillborn infants (n = 269) with birthw eight less than or equal to 1500 g during the same period were also re gistered. Results: The annual incidence of live born VLBW infants (7.1 /1000 live births) did not change, but the proportion of infants born alive before 26 weeks' gestation increased and the stillborn part decr eased significantly. The Caesarean section (CS) rate, antenatal transf er and the use of a neonatal transport team increased significantly. F our hundred and seventy-five infants (89%) were considered viable at b irth, 347 (65%) survived to 1 y and 343 (64%) to 4 y. The likelihood o f survival was independently related to female gender. The trend for s urvival to 4 y of age did not increase significantly. Thirty children suffered from cerebral palsy (8.7% of survivors, 5.6% of live births) and the cerebral palsy rate for infants with birthweight 751-1000 g de creased. The proportion of survivors considered to be normal or mild d isabled increased and the part suffering from moderate or severe disab ility decreased significantly. Conclusions: In spite of long distances and unfavourable climatic conditions VLBW infants can be adequately c ared for in this sparsely populated region of Norway.