logo ships
logo epice
IMPROVING HEALTH FOR VERY PRETERM CHILDREN IN EUROPE

Perinatal outcomes

Variability in the management and outcomes of extremely preterm births across five European countries: a population-based cohort study
Lucy K Smith, Beatrice Blondel, Patrick Van Reempts, Elizabeth S Draper, Bradley N Manktelow, Henrique Barros, Marina Cuttini, Jennifer Zeitlin, for the EPICE Research Group
Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. (2017)


As a result of improved antenatal and neonatal care, survival has increased for infants born at the limits of viability, however not without risk of severe morbidities. Counselling parents and making decisions about treatments for these infants is difficult, as survival rates vary widely. The aim was to explore international variations in the management and survival of extremely low gestational age and birthweight births in the EPICE regions of Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and the UK.

Continue Reading

Variation in term birth weight across European countries affects the prevalence of small for gestational age among very preterm infants
Jennifer Zeitlin, Anna-Karin Edstedt Bonamy, Aurelie Piedvache, Marina Cuttini, Henrique Barros, Patrick Van Reempts, Jan Mazela, Pierre-Henri Jarreau, Ludwig Gortner, Elizabeth S. Draper, Rolf F. Maier and the EPICE Research Group
Acta Paediatr. (2017)


Intrauterine growth references are used for assessing the growth of very preterm (VPT) infants; a birth weight below the 10th percentile is considered to be small for gestational age (SGA). The aim was to assess the prevalence of infants classified as SGA using two different intrauterine growth references - country-specific and common European references - in 7766 VPT live births in the EPICE cohort.

Continue Reading

Association of Short Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration-to-Birth Intervals With Survival and Morbidity Among Very Preterm Infants: Results From the EPICE Cohort
Mikael Norman, Aurelie Piedvache, Klaus Børch, Lene Drasbek Huusom, Anna-Karin Edstedt Bonamy, Elizabeth A. Howell, Pierre-Henri Jarreau, Rolf F. Maier, Ole Pryds, Liis Toome, Heili Varendi, Tom Weber, Emilija Wilson, Arno Van Heijst, Marina Cuttini, Jan Mazela, Henrique Barros, Patrick Van Reempts, Elizabeth S. Draper, Jennifer Zeitlin, for the Effective Perinatal Intensive Care in Europe (EPICE) Research Group
JAMA Pediatr. (2017)


Antenatal corticosteroids (ANS) are administered to pregnant women at risk of delivery before 34 weeks of gestation, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality in their infants. The administration-to-birth intervals of ANS varies, and it is not known how close to delivery ANS administration is efficient. The aim was to explore the association between the time from first ANS injection to delivery and survival and morbidity among 4594 singleton very preterm infants in all 19 of the EPICE regions.

Continue Reading

Variability in Very Preterm Stillbirth and In-Hospital Mortality Across Europe
Elizabeth S. Draper, Bradley N. Manktelow, Marina Cuttini, Rolf F. Maier, Alan C. Fenton, Patrick Van Reempts, Anna-Karin Bonamy, Jan Mazela, Klaus Børch, Corinne Koopman-Esseboom, Heili Varendi, Henrique Barros, Jennifer J. Zeitlin, on behalf of the EPICE Cohort
Pediatrics (2017)

 

Continue Reading

Use of Magnesium Sulphate before 32 weeks of gestation: a European population-based cohort study
Wolf HT, Huusom L, Weber T, Piedvache A, Schmidt S, Norman M, Zeitlin J and the EPICE Research Group
BMJ Open (2017)


Magnesium sulphate has long been used in obstetric practice, but its current use is unknown. We aimed to explore reported policies of use of magnesium sulphate and the actual use in European obstetrical units by indication (eclampsia prophylaxis, fetal neuroprotection and tocolysis) in women giving birth before 32 weeks of gestation. We used data from the European Perinatal Intensive Care in Europe (EPICE) population-based cohort which is a large population-based multinational cohort.

Continue Reading