Perinatal factors and the developmental outcome of preterm infants.

To determine the developmental outcome of sick preterm infants, a retrospective analysis of 101 preterm infant survivors, cared for a teaching hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, was conducted. Information regarding the one-year developmental outcome was compared with significant perinatal factors: birth weight, gestational age, neonatal mortality index, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) severity, and high-risk pregnancy factors. Eighteen percent of all infants studied had developmental delays indicating an improved prognosis for preterm infants. Severe RDS survivors had the greatest incidence of developmental delays and the most high-risk pregnancy histories.