Perinatal care crucial for very premature babies' later development.

Thanks to improved medical technology, babies born very prematurely now have a much greater chance of surviving than they used to. A research team from the University of Auckland and National Women's Hospital is examining the long-term effects of perinatal difficulties on children weighing under 1500g at birth. One major aim is to discover whether the increasing number of immature infants who survive has led to a greater proportion of children with problems. The group's findings indicate that this is not so. Dr Barton MacArthur (Education), Associate-Professor Ross Howie (Paediatrics and National Women's Hospital) and Dr Anne Dezoete (MNational Women's Hospital, Child Development Unit) prepared this report on their cooperative research association.