"Late-Preterm" Infants: A Population at Risk

Late-preterm infants, defined by birth at 34(0/7) through 36(6/7) weeks' gestation, are less physiologically and metabolically mature than term infants. Thus, they are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality than term infants. The purpose of this report is to define "late preterm,"...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 2007-12, Vol.120 (6), p.1390-1401
Main Authors: Engle, William A, Tomashek, Kay M, Wallman, Carol, and Committee on Fetus and Newborn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Complications and side effects
Epidemiology
General aspects
Gestational Age
Health aspects
Humans
Infant mortality
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature - growth & development
Infant, Premature, Diseases - epidemiology
Infants
Infants (Premature)
Medical sciences
Metabolism
Morbidity
Mortality
Patient outcomes
Pediatrics
Physiological aspects
Premature infants
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk
Risk Factors
Risk factors (Health)
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Description
Summary:Late-preterm infants, defined by birth at 34(0/7) through 36(6/7) weeks' gestation, are less physiologically and metabolically mature than term infants. Thus, they are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality than term infants. The purpose of this report is to define "late preterm," recommend a change in terminology from "near term" to "late preterm," present the characteristics of late-preterm infants that predispose them to a higher risk of morbidity and mortality than term infants, and propose guidelines for the evaluation and management of these infants after birth.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275
DOI:10.1542/peds.2007-2952