Enhanced Survival of 22–25 Week Preterm Infants After Proactive Care Implementation: A Comparative Analysis of Two Time Periods

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To investigate the impact of proactive perinatal care on periviable preterm infants before and after its implementation. Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted over a period of 10 y, from 2013 to 2019, referred to as Phase I, and from 2020 to 2022, referred to as Phase II. A total of 162 eligible infants born between 220/7 and 256/7 wk of gestation were included in this analysis. Results A total of 125 infants were born in phase I, and 37 infants in phase II received proactive care with minimal handling. The mortality decreased from 54.4% to 24.3% (P = 0.001). The composite outcomes of severe brain injury or death, sepsis or death and necrotizing enterocolitis or death were also improved with proactive care. Gestational age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.900; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.836–0.970], air leak syndrome (aOR 4.958; 95% CI, 1.681–14.624), massive pulmonary hemorrhage (aOR 4.944; 95% CI, 2.055–11.893), and birth in phase II (aOR 0.324; 95% CI, 0.115–0.912) were independently associated with mortality. Conclusions The implementation of proactive care with minimal handling resulted in an increased survival rate and a reduction in the combined morbidities between the two time periods. The provision of proactive perinatal care with minimal handling is crucial for improving both the survival rates and clinical outcomes of these vulnerable infants.