search text   Advanced Search

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) P3Rs: Submit a response P3Rs: View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when P3Rs are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (23) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Raju, T. N.K. Articles by Leveno, K. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Raju, T. N.K. Articles by Leveno, K. J. Related Collections Premature & Newborn

Optimizing Care and Outcome for Late-Preterm (Near-Term) Infants: A Summary of the Workshop Sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

^a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
^b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
^c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

In 2003, 12.3% of births in the United States were preterm (<37 completed weeks of gestation). This represents a 31% increase in the preterm birth rate since 1981. The largest contribution to this increase was from births between 34 and 36 completed weeks of gestation (often called the "near term" but referred to as "late preterm" in this article). Compared with term infants, late-preterm infants have higher frequencies of respiratory distress, temperature instability, hypoglycemia, kernicterus, apnea, seizures, and feeding problems, as well as higher rates of rehospitalization. However, the magnitude of these morbidities at the national level and their public health impact have not been well studied. To address these issues, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health invited a multidisciplinary team of experts to a workshop in July 2005 entitled "Optimizing Care and Outcome of the Near-Term Pregnancy and the Near-Term Newborn Infant." The participants discussed the definition and terminology, epidemiology, etiology, biology of maturation, clinical care, surveillance, and public health aspects of late-preterm infants. Knowledge gaps were identified, and research priorities were listed. This article provides a summary of the meeting.

Key Words: prematurity • low birth weight • preterm birth • near-term infant • late-preterm infant • seizures • kernicterus • respiratory distress syndrome • apnea • sudden infant death

Abbreviations: TTN—transient tachypnea of the newborn • RDS—respiratory distress syndrome

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. C. Eichenwald Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity in Late Preterm Births AAP Grand Rounds, June 1, 2008; 19(6): 61 - 62. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Yoder, M. C. Gordon, and W. H. Barth Jr Late-Preterm Birth: Does the Changing Obstetric Paradigm Alter the Epidemiology of Respiratory Complications? Obstet. Gynecol., April 1, 2008; 111(4): 814 - 822. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K.J.S. Anand and R. W. Hall Love, Pain, and Intensive Care Pediatrics, April 1, 2008; 121(4): 825 - 827. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. M. Lee, B. J. Wylie, L. L. Simpson, and M. E. D'Alton Twin Chorionicity and the Risk of Stillbirth Obstet. Gynecol., February 1, 2008; 111(2): 301 - 308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. N.K. Raju Late-Preterm Births: Challenges and Opportunities Pediatrics, February 1, 2008; 121(2): 402 - 403. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. K. Shapiro-Mendoza, K. M. Tomashek, M. Kotelchuck, W. Barfield, A. Nannini, J. Weiss, and E. Declercq Effect of Late-Preterm Birth and Maternal Medical Conditions on Newborn Morbidity Risk Pediatrics, February 1, 2008; 121(2): e223 - e232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. D. McIntire and K. J. Leveno Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity Rates in Late Preterm Births Compared With Births at Term Obstet. Gynecol., January 1, 2008; 111(1): 35 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. A. Engle, K. M. Tomashek, C. Wallman, and and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn "Late-Preterm" Infants: A Population at Risk Pediatrics, December 1, 2007; 120(6): 1390 - 1401. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

P³Rs:

	Home | My Pediatrics | Journal Information | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscriptions & Services | Contact Us Click here for faster international access © 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.