Withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in extremely low gestational age neonates.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (WWLST) for extremely low gestational age neonates.

Design

Observational study of prospectively collected registry data from 19 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centres on neonates born at 22-28 weeks gestation who died >12 hours through 120 days of age during 2011-2016. Sociodemographic and clinical factors were compared between infants who died following WWLST and without WWLST.

Results

Of 1168 deaths, 67.1% occurred following WWLST. Withdrawal of assisted ventilation (97.4%) was the primary modality. WWLST rates were inversely proportional to gestational age. Life-sustaining treatment was

SUBMITTER: Dworetz AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8055718 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature