How modern science is helping premature babies succeed
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around 15 million premature babies come into the world every year, which means that around one in ten births is preterm.
According to WHO, preterm birth rates are increasing worldwide, although this may be biased due to more comprehensive monitoring of this health problem in recent years. On the other hand, the increase in the age of mothers and the risk factors associated with it (hypertension, gestational diabetes...) could be another cause of preterm childbirth. The higher rates of multiple pregnancies, derived from the proliferation of assisted reproduction treatments, are also a factor that would explain this increase in premature births.
Today we have the means and technology to increase the survival of premature babies and minimise subsequent complications. On the other hand, although the triggers of premature birth are often unknown, monitoring the pregnancy with at least eight visits to a health professional throughout the pregnancy can help detect risk factors and prevent the problem.
A normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, and from the 37th week onwards it is considered to have reached full term. A baby is premature when delivery occurs before 37 weeks.
Premature babies get cold easily, so one of the first steps is to warm them up. They may also have problems feeding themselves, are at higher risk of infection and, as discussed earlier, depending on the week of birth they may need help breathing.
Technology can be a great ally for neonatal professionals. A study published in Nature Communications in 2017 described the development of a kind of artificial uterus that could act as a bridge between the mother's womb and the outside world.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a serious lung disease that can affect premature babies.
According to experts such as Mandy Laube, a researcher in the department of Neonatology at the University Hospital of Leipzig (Germany), mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies are promising and potentially therapeutic in several pulmonary complications associated with premature births.
It is simple, effective and very cheap. The so-called "Mother Kangaroo Method" emerged in Colombia in the late 1970s and is inspired by the behaviour of marsupial mothers, whose offspring are born immature and must finish their development in the mother's bag. It consists of skin-to-skin with the mother or father, who played the role of the incubator but contribute much more by helping to stabilize vital signs, reduce stress and help establish lactation.
One of the most recent studies, published in May 2018 in the International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, reveals that premature infants who need breathing assistance and receive the kangaroo method from the first day of birth experience fewer episodes of apnea, hypothermia and septicemia.
The kangaroo method is also beneficial for families: a study published in the journal Acta Pediatrica showed that parents who could make skin on skin with their premature babies experienced a drop in blood pressure and cortisol levels, both physiological indicators of stress.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is due to an alteration in the normal development of the retina. In many cases, this disease improves spontaneously and without the need for treatment, but it is necessary to follow up, as sometimes very serious complications can occur that even lead to blindness.
In order to solve ROP in these more serious cases, a laser intervention is carried out, although in recent years the use of bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody used to treat some types of cancer, has begun to be tested. The results are promising, although the long-term effects of this drug need to be well evaluated.
The ductus arteriosus is a structure that connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta and closes in the first few hours after birth.
