[Morbidity, mortality and late sequelae in extremely premature infants born in the Hvidovre Hospital, 1985-1991].

In the period 1985 to 1991, 80 infants with gestational age below 28 completed weeks were born at Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen and transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital. The incidence of extreme prematurity was 3.6 0/00. Twenty-eight infants died during the neonatal period (35%) and nine infants died later in infancy (11.3%). Forty-three infants (54%) survived. Forty four percent of surviving infants had one or more sequelae related to their prematurity or neonatal complications, mainly blindness or reduced vision, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. Neither gender, mode of delivery or birth asphyxia were important for survival and sequels. Neonatal complications such as patent ductus arteriosus, septicaemia, necrotizing enterocolitis, pneumothorax and cerebral haemorrhages were significantly related to survival and sequelae.