Objective Extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) among very preterm infants is related to poor neurodevelopment, but lack of consensus on EUGR measurement constrains international research. Our aim was to compare EUGR prevalence in a European very preterm cohort using commonly used measures. Design Population-based observational study. Setting 19 regions in 11 European countries. Patients 6792 very preterm infa...
Background & aims: Extra-uterine growth restriction (EUGR) is common among very preterm (VPT) infants and has been associated with impaired neurodevelopment. Some research suggests that adverse effects of EUGR may be more severe in boys. We investigated EUGR and neurodevelopment at 2 years of corrected age (CA) by sex in a VPT birth cohort. Methods: Data come from a population-based cohort of children born <32 ...
The EPICE cohort is a geographically defined study of still-births and live births from 22 þ 0 to 31 þ 6 weeks of gestation in 19 European regions (Fig. 1). Regions were selected with respect to geographic and organizational diversity and feasibility, meaning they had systems for collecting population data on VPT babies that could be modified to integrate the study protocol. In France, the EPICE study includes ...
Objectives To develop research priorities on the consequences of very preterm (VPT) birth for the RECAP Preterm platform which brings together data from 23 European VPT birth cohorts. Design and setting This study used a two-round modified Delphi consensus process. Round 1 was based on 28 research themes related to childhood outcomes (<12 years) derived from consultations with cohort researchers. An external pa...
Objective Caesarean section (CS) may reduce mortality and morbidity for very preterm breech infants, but evidence is inconclusive. We evaluated neonatal outcomes for singleton breech infants by mode of delivery in a European cohort. Study design Data come from the EPICE population-based cohort of very preterm births in 19 regions in 11 European countries (7770 live births). The study population was singleton sp...
AIM: This study investigated the different strategies used in 11 European countries to prevent hypothermia, which continues to affect a large proportion of preterm births in the region. METHODS: We examined the association between the reported use of hypothermia prevention strategies in delivery rooms and body temperatures on admission to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in 5861 infants born at 22 + 0 to 3...
Administration-to-birth intervals of antenatal corticosteroids (ANS) vary. The significance of this variation is unclear. Specifically, to our knowledge, the shortest effective administration-to-birth interval is unknown. Objective:To explore the associations between ANS administration-to-birth interval and survival and morbidity among very preterm infants. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Effective Perin...
Objectives To evaluate the implementation of four high evidence practices for the care of very preterm infants to assess their use and impact in routine clinical practice and whether they constitute a driver for reducing mortality and neonatal morbidity. Design Prospective multinational population based observational study. Setting 19 regions from 11 European countries covering 850 000 annual births participati...