[Problems and outcome in very low birth weight infants, with three cases of babies under 700 grams].

Recent advances in neonatal medicine made reality the survival of newborn babies of extremely low weight and gestational age. This often provokes ethical problems in relation to high death rate, morbidity and neuro-developmental seguels. On the other hand it is usually impossible at birth to predict the presence and severity of future problems. We present the cases of three babies, where in spite of the most unfavourable factors connected to mother's condition, foetus and newborn, three healthy children were raised up. Their characteristics at birth are: 650 g--30 gestational weeks; 560 g--29 gestational weeks; 600 g--29 gestational weeks. In all of them intensive resuscitation and mechanical ventilation are started immediately after birth, two of them received prophylactic surfactant. Little by little, the problems arising from extremely low birth weight, faded away. All babies had grade I-II IVH which were totally resorbed. The first baby is three years old at the moment with were totally resorbed. The first baby is three years old at the moment with adequate for her age mental and neurologic development. The other two babies, resp. 9 and 3 months of age, are also developing normally. In conclusion, the possibilities for survival and raising up of babies of extremely low weight and gestational age are definitely increasing, requiring high qualification staff, modern technics and very large funds for diagnostics, monitoring and treatment.