ArticleBMC pediatrics2023
Changes in neonatal morbidity, neonatal care practices, and length of hospital stay of surviving infants born very preterm in the Netherlands in the 1980s and in the 2000s: a comparison analysis with identical characteristics definitions.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Continuous positive airway pressure versus methylxanthine for apnoea in preterm infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison of early growth and development in very preterm children in the Netherlands between the 1980s and 2000s.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Optic Disc Characteristics in Children Born Preterm With and Without ROP: Results From the Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study Young (GPESY).Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Observational
- Financial incentives for family members of hospitalized neonates for improving family presence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study evaluates changes in the neonatal morbidity, the neonatal care practices, and the length of hospital stay of surviving very preterm (VP) infants born in the Netherlands in the 1980s and in the 2000s; a period over which historical improvements were introduced into neonatal care. We, herein, also study whether these changes in neonatal morbidity, neonatal care practices and length of hospital stay are associated with sociodemographic, prenatal, and infant characteristics.
methodsTwo community-based cohorts from 1983 (POPS) and 2002-03 (LOLLIPOP) have provided the perinatal data for our study. The analysis enrolled 1,228 participants born VP (before the 32nd week of gestation) and surviving to 2 years of age without any severe congenital malformation. A rigorous harmonisation protocol ensured a precise comparison of the cohorts by using identical definitions of the perinatal characteristics.
resultsIn 2003, mothers were older when giving birth, had higher multiple birth rates, and significantly more parents had received higher education. In 2003, less VP infants had severe intraventricular haemorrhage and sepsis and relatively more received continuous positive airway pressure, mechanical ventilation and caffeine therapy than in 1983. Antenatal corticosteroids and surfactant therapy were provided only in 2003. The length of the stay in the neonatal intensive care unit and in hospital had decreased in 2003 by 22 and 11 days, respectively. Differences persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic, prenatal, and infant characteristics.
conclusionsNeonatal morbidities of the surviving VP infants in this study have not increased, and exhibit improvements for various characteristics in two cohorts born 20 years apart with comparable gestational age and birth weight. Our data suggest that the improvements found are associated with more advanced therapeutic approaches and new national protocols in place, and less so with sociodemographic changes. This analysis provides a basis for further comparative analyses of the health and the development of VP children, particularly with regard to long-term outcomes.
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