ObjectiveThere is a paucity of data relating to neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants born late and moderately preterm (LMPT; 32+0–36+6 weeks). This paper present the results of a prospective, population-based study of 2-year outcomes following LMPT birth.Design1130 LMPT and 1255 term-born children were recruited at birth. At 2 years corrected age, parents completed a questionnaire to assess neurosensory (vision, hearing, motor) impairments and the Parent Report of Children's Abilities-Revised to identify cognitive impairment. Relative risks for adverse outcomes were adjusted for sex, socio-economic status and small for gestational age, and weighted to account for over-sampling of term-born multiples. Risk factors for cognitive impairment were explored using multivariable analyses.ResultsParents of 638 (57%) LMPT infants and 765 (62%) controls completed questionnaires. Among LMPT infants, 1.6% had neurosensory impairment compared with 0.3% of controls (RR 4.89, 95% CI 1.07 to 22.25). Cognitive impairments were the most common adverse outcome: LMPT 6.3%; controls 2.4% (RR 2.09, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.64). LMPT infants were at twice the risk for neurodevelopmental disability (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.75). Independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in LMPT infants were male sex, socio-economic disadvantage, non-white ethnicity, preeclampsia and not receiving breast milk at discharge.ConclusionsCompared with term-born peers, LMPT infants are at double the risk for neurodevelopmental disability at 2 years of age, with the majority of impairments observed in the cognitive domain. Male sex, socio-economic disadvantage and preeclampsia are independent predictors of low cognitive scores following LMPT birth.

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Aims: To investigate the extent of socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence of very preterm birth over the past decade. Methods: Ecological study of all 549 618 births in the former Trent health region, UK, from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 2003. All singleton births of 22 +0 to 32 +6 weeks gestation (7 185 births) were identified from population surveys of neonatal services and stillbirths. Poisson regression was used to calculate incidence of very preterm birth (22-32 weeks) and extremely preterm birth (22-28 weeks) by year of birth and decile of deprivation (child poverty section of the Index of Multiple Deprivation). Results: Incidence of very preterm singleton birth rose from 11.9 per 1000 births in 1994 to 13.7 per 1000 births in 2003. Those from the most deprived decile were at nearly twice the risk of very preterm birth compared with those from the least deprived decile, with 16.4 per 1000 births in the most deprived decile compared with 8.5 per 1000 births in the least deprived decile (incidence rate ratio 1.94; 95% CI (1.73 to 2.17)). This deprivation gap remained unchanged throughout the 10-year period. The magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities was the same for extremely preterm births (22-28 weeks incidence rate ratio 1.94; 95% CI (1.62 to 2.32)). Conclusions: This large, unique dataset of very preterm births shows wide socio-economic inequalities that persist over time. These findings are likely to have consequences on the burden of long-term morbidity. Our research can assist future healthcare planning, the monitoring of socio-economic inequalities and the targeting of interventions in order to reduce this persistent deprivation gap.

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Objective To produce current data on survival of preterm infants. Design Retrospective population based study. Setting Trent health region.

Background and Purpose-In hypertensive populations, increasing blood pressure (BP) levels and BP variability (BPV) are associated with a greater incidence of target organ damage. After stroke, elevated 24-hour BP levels predict a poor outcome, although it is uncertain whether shorter-length BP recordings assessing mean BP levels and BPV have a similar predictive role. The objectives of this study were to compare the different measures of beat-to-beat BP and BPV on outcome after acute ischemic stroke and assess whether these parameters were affected by stroke subtype. Methods-Ninety-two consecutive admissions with a CT-confirmed diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke were recruited, of whom 54 had cortical infarction, 29 subcortical, and 9 posterior circulation infarction. Casual and two 5-minute recordings of beat-to-beat BP (Finapres, Ohmeda) were made under standardized conditions within 72 hours of ictus, with mean BP levels taken as the average of this 10-minute recording and BPV as the standard deviation. Outcome was assessed at 30 days as dead/dependent or independent (Rankin Յ2). The effects of BP, BPV, and stroke subtype on outcome were studied with the use of logistic regression. Stroke subjects were subsequently divided by BP quartiles and within each quartile into low-and high-variability groups; the influence of high BPV on outcome was also assessed. Results-The odds ratio for death/dependency was significantly higher in cortical strokes compared with subcortical and posterior circulation strokes even after controlling for differences in BP and BPV (OR 4.19, Pϭ0.002). Beat-to-beat systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP Ϯ SD) levels were higher in the dead/dependent group compared with the independent group (MAP 106Ϯ20.4 mm Hg vs 97Ϯ19.1 mm Hg, PϽ0.02), as was MAP variability: 6.1 (interquartile range 4.5 to 7.4 mm Hg) versus 4.9 (3.8 to 6.4 mm Hg, Pϭ0.02). The odds ratio for a poor outcome was 1.38 (Pϭ0.014) for every 10 -mm Hg increase in MAP and 1.32 (Pϭ0.02) for every 1-mm Hg increase in MAP variability. Casual BP measurements had no prognostic significance. For the group as a whole when separated into BP quartiles, those with a high MAP and DBP but not SBP variability within each quartile had a worse prognosis compared with those with a low BPV. Conclusions-A poor outcome at 30 days after ischemic stroke was dependent on stroke subtype, beat-to-beat DBP, and MAP levels and variability. Important prognostic information can be readily obtained from a short period of noninvasive BP monitoring in the acute stroke patient. These findings have important implications, particularly regarding the use of hypotensive agents in the acute stroke period. (Stroke. 2000;31:463-468.)

Objectives To evaluate the implementation of four high evidence practices for the care of very preterm infants to assess their use and impact in routine clinical practice and whether they constitute a driver for reducing mortality and neonatal morbidity.Design Prospective multinational population based observational study.Setting 19 regions from 11 European countries covering 850 000 annual births participating in the EPICE (Effective Perinatal Intensive Care in Europe for very preterm births) project.Participants 7336 infants born between 24+0 and 31+6 weeks’ gestation in 2011/12 without serious congenital anomalies and surviving to neonatal admission.Main outcome measures Combined use of four evidence based practices for infants born before 28 weeks’ gestation using an “all or none” approach: delivery in a maternity unit with appropriate level of neonatal care; administration of antenatal corticosteroids; prevention of hypothermia (temperature on admission to neonatal unit ≥36°C); surfactant used within two hours of birth or early nasal continuous positive airway pressure. Infant outcomes were in-hospital mortality, severe neonatal morbidity at discharge, and a composite measure of death or severe morbidity, or both. We modelled associations using risk ratios, with propensity score weighting to account for potential confounding bias. Analyses were adjusted for clustering within delivery hospital.Results Only 58.3% (n=4275) of infants received all evidence based practices for which they were eligible. Infants with low gestational age, growth restriction, low Apgar scores, and who were born on the day of maternal admission to hospital were less likely to receive evidence based care. After adjustment, evidence based care was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (risk ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.87) and in-hospital mortality or severe morbidity, or both (0.82, 0.73 to 0.92), corresponding to an estimated 18% decrease in all deaths without an increase in severe morbidity if these interventions had been provided to all infants.Conclusions More comprehensive use of evidence based practices in perinatal medicine could result in considerable gains for very preterm infants, in terms of increased survival without severe morbidity.

Background-The effect of orthostatic stress on dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) in normal subjects and patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope (VVS) is unclear. This study assessed the dynamic CA responses of both groups to head-up tilt. Methods and Results-Seventeen patients with recurrent VVS and 17 pair-matched control subjects underwent 70°h ead-up tilt for up to 30 minutes. Bilateral middle cerebral artery blood flow velocities (CBFV) were measured with transcranial Doppler ultrasound along with noninvasive beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and transcutaneous and end-tidal CO 2 concentrations. Indices of dynamic CA were derived for periods before, during, and after tilt. Eight normal subjects who developed VVS in an identical protocol but who had no previous clinical history of syncope were also studied. CBFV and transcutaneous and end-tidal CO 2 levels declined significantly during head-up tilt in all groups (PϽ0.0001). Dynamic CA indices were unchanged throughout tilt in nonsyncopal control subjects and were initially unchanged in patients but deteriorated significantly in patients and syncopal control subjects in the minutes before (Pϭ0.027 and Pϭ0.012, respectively) and after (Pϭ0.002 and Pϭ0.007, respectively) syncope. Conclusions-Dynamic CA is preserved in patients and control subjects initially after head-up tilt. Autoregulatory function remains intact in nonsyncopal control subjects during prolonged orthostasis but deteriorates in patients and syncopal control subjects immediately before and after VVS.