National Women's Annual Clinical Report 2010

9.5 Outcomes
9.5.1 Survival of NW inborn babies by birthweight
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0
% 501-1000 g 1001-1500 g
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Figure 111: Neonatal survival (0-28 days) of ≤1500g inborn live births from 1959 to 2010
Over the years the definitions used have been the same, counting all babies, including those
who died soon after birth, if they showed signs of life.
The numbers of babies with anomalies and the number who were not actively treated
because of their low gestation varies from year to year, and has a big influence on the overall
survival rate, particularly in the extremely low birth weight group (500-1000g, ELBW).
There has been an enormous improvement in the results of perinatal and neonatal intensive
care over this time period. In the first three years (1959-61) only 5/85 (6%) ELBW babies
survived to 28 days compared to a current survival of around 70-80%.
Significant improvements in neonatal care started with the introduction of techniques for
ventilatory support and the development of modern intensive care in the late 1970s and early
1980s. Antenatal steroids plus the introduction of surfactant replacement treatment in 1990
and more recent refinement of respiratory support with patient triggered modes of ventilation
and increasing use of CPAP have also had an impact.
Although there have not been such dramatic changes in survival rates over the last decade,
it is worth noting the current quality of survival, in terms of neurodevelopment, as reported in
the Child Development Unit (CDU) section of the report (section 9.9).
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