Neonatal intensive care at borderline viability - is it worth it?

Background: Very preterm infants at the borderline of viability, especially those <25 weeks of gestational age, have survived in increasing numbers in recent years, but concerns persist about their long-term outcome and their consumption of scarce hospital resources. Aims: To determine incremental changes in long-term outcome and consumption of resources by very preterm infants in the 1990s. Design: Cohort study. Patients: Consecutive livebirths with gestational ages 23-27 weeks born in the state of Victoria in two discrete eras, 1991-1992 (n = 401) and 1997 (n=208), and randomly selected contemporaneous normal birthweight (NBW, birthweight >2499 g) controls (1991-1992 n=265, 1997 n=198).