Increasing rates of preterm twin births coincide with improving twin pair survival
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Rebecca S. Hartley
Abstract
Objective: To examine trends in twin gestational age over time, with adjustment for potential confounding factors, and to assess twin pair mortality and respiratory support over time.
Methods: Rates of preterm births, respiratory support, and neonatal mortality were calculated for 21,569 twin pairs born from 1980 to 2005 in Washington State, using birth certificate and hospital discharge data. Fetal death risks were determined on a “per-pair-at-risk” basis.
Results: While the proportion of twins born at 24–31 weeks remained stable at 8%, the proportion born at 32–36 weeks increased from 28% to 48%, and the proportion at 37–42 weeks declined from 64% to 44% (P<0.0001). Controlling individually for a variety of factors, such as maternal age, race, parity, and mode of delivery did not diminish the highly significant trend of increasing preterm births (P<0.0001 for each). Twin pair neonatal mortality decreased significantly through time (P<0.0001); however, the rate of pairs with one or both infants requiring oxygen or ventilation increased significantly through time (P<0.0001). Fetal death risks declined for term twins.
Conclusions: The proportion of twins born at 32–36 weeks' gestation has increased over time, along with requirement for respiratory support. Twin pair mortality decreased from 1980 to 2005.
©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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- Estimating the effect of gestational age on test performance of combined first-trimester screening for Down syndrome: a preliminary study
- Original articles – Newborn
- Avoidable mortality in small-for-gestational-age children in the Netherlands
- Incidence of perinatal complications in children with premature craniosynostosis
- Refractive status and ocular axial length in preterm infants without retinopathy of prematurity with regard to birth weight and gestational age
- The use of culture-independent tools to characterize bacteria in endo-tracheal aspirates from pre-term infants at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Application of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography for intestinal microbiota analysis of newborns
- Errata
- Errata
- Congress Calender
- Congress Calendar
- Announcement
- Announcement
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Recommendations and guidelines for perinatal practice
- Optimization of human milk fortification for preterm infants: new concepts and recommendations
- Review articles
- Fetal growth restriction – from observation to intervention
- From monster to twin reversed arterial perfusion: a history of acardiac twins
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- The relationship between maternal insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1, IGF-2) and IGFBP-3 to gestational age and preterm delivery
- Detection of ureaplasmas by the polymerase chain reaction in the amniotic fluid of patients with cervical insufficiency
- Effect of maternal clinical chorioamnionitis on neonatal morbidity in very-low birthweight infants: a case-control study
- The frequency and clinical significance of intra-amniotic infection and/or inflammation in women with placenta previa and vaginal bleeding: an unexpected observation
- Evidence for differential regulation of the adipokine visfatin in the maternal and fetal compartments in normal spontaneous labor at term
- Original articles – Fetus
- Birth weight percentile charts based on daily measurements for very preterm male and female infants at the age of 154–223 days
- Increasing rates of preterm twin births coincide with improving twin pair survival
- Estimating the effect of gestational age on test performance of combined first-trimester screening for Down syndrome: a preliminary study
- Original articles – Newborn
- Avoidable mortality in small-for-gestational-age children in the Netherlands
- Incidence of perinatal complications in children with premature craniosynostosis
- Refractive status and ocular axial length in preterm infants without retinopathy of prematurity with regard to birth weight and gestational age
- The use of culture-independent tools to characterize bacteria in endo-tracheal aspirates from pre-term infants at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Application of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography for intestinal microbiota analysis of newborns
- Errata
- Errata
- Congress Calender
- Congress Calendar
- Announcement
- Announcement
