Gestation And The Grey Zone /

23 weeks and to 24 weeks +5 days

01 In Brief

Survival of premature infants has improved over the last 50 years however the pace of improvement in neurodevelopmental outcomes has lagged behind survival. Below 23 weeks and 500gm the provision of intensive care is unreasonable whereas infants born >25 weeks gestation and/or  >600 gm, survival is expected and at least 50% do not have severe long term disability. In between is the grey zone and shared parent and medical decision making is complex and dependent on a number of  factors. 

02 What Others Say

  • Victorian Government

Anticipating the birth of an extremely premature infant

  • Survival data from Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children

Challenges of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate

  • Outcome Estimates calculator from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal research Network: Extremely premature Birth Outcome Data

Outcome Data

Outcomes Estimate calculator

03 I Want To Know More

From the University of Soutern California: Journal of Perinatolgy (2008) 28, S4-S8;doi:10.1038/jp.2008.42

Limits of viability:definition of the gray zone

The information published here has been reviewed by Flourish Paediatrics and represents the available published literature at the time of review.
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Last updated: 31/07/2011