Late Preterm Infants: Morbidities, Mortality, and Management Recommendations

Katie Huff; Rebecca S Rose; William A Engle

doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2018.12.008

Late Preterm Infants: Morbidities, Mortality, and Management Recommendations

Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019 Apr;66(2):387-402. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2018.12.008. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Authors

Katie Huff¹, Rebecca S Rose¹, William A Engle²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neonatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 699 Riley Hospital Drive, RR 208, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
² Department of Neonatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 699 Riley Hospital Drive, RR 208, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. Electronic address: wengle@iu.edu.

PMID: 30819344
DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2018.12.008

Abstract

Infants born between 34 weeks 0 days and 36 weeks 6 days of gestation are termed late preterm. This group accounts for the majority of premature births in the United States, with rates increasing in each of the last 3 years. This increase is significant given their large number: nearly 280,000 in 2016 alone. Late preterm infants place a significant burden on the health care and education systems because of their increased risk of morbidities and mortality compared with more mature infants. This increased risk persists past the newborn period, leading to the need for continued health monitoring throughout life.

Keywords: Late preterm; Management; Monitoring; Morbidity; Mortality.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Female
Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infant
Infant Mortality*
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature / physiology*
Infant, Premature, Diseases / epidemiology*
Infant, Premature, Diseases / therapy
Monitoring, Physiologic / methods*
Morbidity
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Pregnancy
Risk Factors
United States