The premature infant in outpatient care

Extract

• A prematurely born infant denotes an infant that is delivered before the week 37+0 of pregnancy. Most premature infants weigh less than 2 500 g. Premature infants may be small (small for gestational age = SGA; small for date), normal (appropriate for gestational age = AGA) or large (large for date), as all other neonates.
• A very small premature infant weighs less than 1 500 g at birth, and an extremely low birth weight infant weighs less than 1 000 g.
• The corrected age, i.e. the developmental age, is calculated, instead of the date of birth, from the expected date of delivery determined according to the ultrasonography in early pregnancy or according to the last menstruation. Preterm birth does not accelerate the growth or development of the child. The corrected age corresponds better than the calendar age (i.e. chronological age) to the child's true biological age that starts at conception. The growth and development of the premature infant should be assessed according to the corrected age as long as the difference is important in practice. If the child was born before the 28th week of pregnancy the correction is necessary at the age of one year, and possibly at the age of two years, but not any more at the age of three.
• Examination: see Physical examination of the newborn1.

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