Very Low Birth Weight Outcomes

Abstract

To the Editor.—

The authors of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development report on neonatal care¹ found "important" variations among neonatal intensive care units in philosophies of treatment, methods of treatment, and short-term outcomes. In a recent meta-analysis of follow-up studies,² researchers document a similarly haphazard approach to the long-term evaluation of very low birth weight survivors. Until randomized controlled clinical trials validate the safety and efficacy of neonatal therapies, and until long-term outcomes are assessed accurately, the treatment of very low birth weight infants should be declared experimental.