Extreme hyperbilirubinaemia in term and near-term infants in Denmark.

Aim: To determine the incidence amongst infants born at term or near-term of extreme hyperbilirubinaemia, i.e., with a serum concentration of unconjugated bilirubin exceeding the limit above which an exchange transfusion was indicated according to the authorized guidelines.

The Danish national study in infants with extremely low gestational age and birthweight (the ETFOL study): respiratory morbidity and outcome.

Aim: To describe and analyse neonatal care, short and long-term morbidity with special reference to ventilatory support and chronic lung disease (CLD) in a population-based study.

Methods: During 1994 and 1995 a prospective, nation-wide, multicentre study was conducted, comprising 477 liveborn infants with gestational age (GA) < 28 wk and/or birthweight < 1000 g. Of these, 407 infants received active treatment.

[Attitudes of parents towards treatment of extremely premature infants].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude among parents of extremely premature newborn children towards fixed lower limits for treatment and towards parent involvement in decisions about the treatment of their child. All parents with extremely premature newborns admitted from January 1, 1992 to June 30, 1994 to the Neonatal Department, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, were asked to fill in questionnaires. The study population comprised the parents of 58 children.

Candida albicans septicemia in a premature infant successfully treated with oral fluconazole.

A premature male infant, birth-weight 1460 g, was treated successfully for a Candida albicans septicemia with orally administered fluconazole for 20 days. Dosage was 5 mg/kg/day. No side effects were seen.

Birthweight-for-gestational age charts based on early ultrasound estimation of gestational age.

Birthweight-for-gestational age charts were based on the analysis of 3888 consecutive births in which the gestational age was estimated by measuring the fetal biparietal diameter before the 20th week of gestation. The data showed, in contrast to previous studies, a linear relation between gestational age and birthweight without inflection after term. The regression parameters showed a strongly significant difference between girls and boys.