800-Gram Birth Weight Infants
1 Neonatology Section, Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri 64108-9898
To the Editor.
The article by Hoffman and Bennett1 suggests that there has been increased morbidity accompanying improved survival for infants
800 g birth weight. We reported survival and neurodevelopmental outcome for infants of this birth weight born at our institutions in 1983 to 1985 compared with an earlier 3-year period.2 Our recent survival was comparable with that of Hoffman and Bennett (40% and 46%). Using similar definitions, we found that 13% of infants >1 year of age who were tested had major disabilities.