Per Ivar Kaaresen

Universitetet i Tromsø, Tromsø, Troms Fylke, Norway

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Publications (18)98.26 Total impact

  • Article: Early intervention improves behavioral outcomes for preterm infants: randomized controlled trial.
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    ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an early intervention program on behavioral outcomes at corrected age of 5 years for children with birth weights (BWs) of <2000 g. A randomized controlled trial of a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program was performed. Outcomes were measured by the Child Behavior Check List report (parents) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at 5 years (parents and preschool teachers). A total of 146 infants were assigned randomly (intervention group: 72 infants; reference group: 74 infants). A term group was recruited (75 infants). The mean BWs were 1396 ± 429 g for the intervention group, 1381 ± 436 g for the control group, and 3619 ± 490 g for the term reference group. Parents in the intervention group reported significantly fewer behavioral problems measured by both instruments at 5 years. There were no differences in behavior problems reported by preschool teachers. Significantly more children in the preterm control group scored within the clinical area of both instruments. This modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program led to fewer behavioral problems reported by parents at corrected age of 5 years for children with BWs of <2000 g.
    PEDIATRICS 12/2011; 129(1):e9-e16. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Regulatory competence and social communication in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age. Results from a randomized controlled trial.
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    ABSTRACT: Temperamental regulatory competence and social communication in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age was studied in a randomized controlled intervention trial aimed at enhancing maternal sensitive responsiveness. Surviving infants <2000 g from a geographically defined area were randomized to an intervention (71) or a control group (69), and compared with term infants (74). The intervention was a modified version of the "Mother-Infant Transaction Program". Regulatory competence was measured with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and social communication with the Early Social Communication Scales. Preterm intervention infants with low regulatory competence had higher responding to joint attention than preterm control infants. A sensitizing intervention may moderate the association between temperament and social communication, and thus allow an alternative functional outlet for preterm infants low in regulatory competence. The finding may have implications for conceptualizations of the role of early sensitizing interventions in promoting important developmental outcomes for premature infants.
    Infant behavior & development 09/2011; 35(1):140-9. · 1.34 Impact Factor
  • Article: Prediction of neurodevelopmental and sensory outcome at 5 years in Norwegian children born extremely preterm.
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    ABSTRACT: To examine the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disability and the predictive value of pre-, peri-, and postnatal data on neurologic, sensory, cognitive, and motor function in children born extremely preterm. This was a prospective observational study of all infants born in Norway between 1999 and 2000 with gestational ages between 22 and 27 weeks or birth weights between 500 and 999 g. Cognitive function was assessed with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, motor function with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and severity of cerebral palsy with the Gross Motor Function Classification for Cerebral Palsy. Disabilities were described as mild, moderate, or severe. Of 371 eligible children, 306 (82%) were examined at a mean (SD) age of 5 years and 10 (4) months. For gestational age less than 28 weeks (n = 239), 26 (11%) children had cerebral palsy alone (n = 21) or in combination with blindness (n = 3) or deafness (n = 2); 1 was blind and 1 was deaf. Of the remaining children, the mean full-scale IQ was 94 ± 15, and significant predictors were (values given as the difference in IQ points [95% confidence intervals]) high maternal education (9.6 [5.7-13.4]), preeclampsia (-7.7 [-12.7 to -2.7]), and retinopathy of prematurity higher than grade 2 (-17.5 [-27.1 to -8.0]). Movement Assessment Battery for Children scores were positively associated with gestational age and prenatal steroids and negatively associated with being small for gestational age, male gender, and having retinopathy of prematurity. Moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disability was more common for gestational ages 25 weeks or less (28 of 87 children) than for 26 to 27 weeks (12 of 152 children; P < .001) and 28 weeks or more (7 of 67 children; P = .001). The outcome was poorer for children with gestational ages of 25 weeks or less compared with those with gestational ages between 26 and 27 weeks. For those without cerebral palsy, blindness, or deafness, however, gestational age had a limited association with cognitive and motor function.
    PEDIATRICS 02/2011; 127(3):e630-8. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Early intervention improves cognitive outcomes for preterm infants: randomized controlled trial.
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    ABSTRACT: The goal was to examine the effectiveness of an early intervention on cognitive and motor outcomes at corrected ages of 3 and 5 years for children with birth weights (BWs) of <2000 g. A randomized controlled trial of a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program was performed. Outcomes were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised at 3 and 5 years, respectively. McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and the grooved pegboard test were used to test motor outcomes at 5 years. A total of 146 infants were assigned randomly (intervention group: 72 infants; control group: 74 infants). The mean BWs were 1396 ± 429 g for the intervention group and 1381 ± 436 g for the control group. After adjustment for maternal education, a nonsignificant difference in Mental Developmental Index scores at 3 years of 4.5 points (95% confidence interval: -0.3 to 9.3 points) in favor of the intervention group was found, whereas the intervention effect on full-scale IQ scores at 5 years was 6.4 points (95% confidence interval: 0.6-12.2 points). Significantly more children in the intervention group had IQ scores of ≥ 85 at 3 and 5 years. There were no differences between the groups with respect to motor outcomes. This modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program improved cognitive outcomes at corrected age of 5 years for children with BWs of <2000 g.
    PEDIATRICS 10/2010; 126(5):e1088-94. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Predicting neurosensory disabilities at two years of age in a national cohort of extremely premature infants.
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    ABSTRACT: Extreme prematurity carries a high risk of neurosensory disability. Examine which information obtained pre-, peri- and postnatally may be predictive of neurosensory disabilities at 2 years of age. Prospective observational study of all infants born in Norway in 1999 and 2000 with gestational age (GA) 22-27 completed weeks or birth weight (BW) of 500-999 g. Incidence of neurosensory disabilities. Of 373 surviving children, 30 (8%) had major neurosensory disabilities (26 CP, 6 blind, 3 deaf), and a further 46 (12%) had minor visual or hearing disabilities. The rate of major neurosensory disabilities was 19 of 99 (19%) for children with GA 23-25 vs. 8 of 189 (4%) for GA 26-27 weeks (p<0.001). In a multivariable model, only morbidities detected in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were associated with major neurosensory disabilities; adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 68.6 (18.7, 252.2) for major abnormalities on cerebral ultrasound, 6.8 (1.7, 27.4) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) grade>2, 3.2 (1.0, 9.7) for ROP grade 1-2, 6.5 (1.9, 22.3) for prolonged use (> or = 21 days) of steroid treatment for lung disease and 3.1 (1.0, 9.4) for clinical chorioamnionitis. The visual outcome was strongly related to the degree of ROP (p<0.001), and all who had a normal hearing screen in the NICU had normal hearing at 2 years. NICU morbidities, rather than GA or intrauterine growth are the significant predictors of major neurosensory disabilities among extreme prematurity surviving to discharge from the NICU.
    Early human development 09/2010; 86(9):581-6. · 2.12 Impact Factor
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    Article: A randomized study of the impact of a sensitizing intervention on the child-rearing attitudes of parents of low birth weight preterm infants.
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    ABSTRACT: Nordhov, S. M., Kaaresen, P. I., Rønning, J. A., Ulvund, S. E. & Dahl, L. B. (2010). A randomized study of the impact of a sensitizing intervention on the child-rearing attitudes of parents of low birth weight preterm infants. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. The background for this study was that nurturant child-rearing attitudes are associated with positive development in low birth weight (LBW) infants. The objective was to study child-rearing attitudes and early intervention (EI) in parents of LBW infants from 12-36 months corrected age. LBW infants (BW < 2000 g) were randomized to an intervention (IG) or a control group (CG). The EI consisted of seven in-hospital sessions prior to discharge, then four home visits. A Child Rearing Practices Report was administered at 12 (mothers only), 24 and 36 months. A total of 146 infants were randomized. The mean BW in IG was 1396 (SD 429) g and 1381 (436) g in CG. The mean GA was 30.2 (3.1) weeks in IG and 29.9 (3.5) weeks in CG. Mothers in IG reported significantly more nurturant child-rearing attitudes at 12 and 24 months. There was a significant change in restrictive and nurturant attitudes over time. It was concluded that EI may lead to more nurturant child-rearing attitudes in mothers of preterms.
    Scandanavian Journal of Psychology 02/2010; · 1.52 Impact Factor
  • Article: Neonatal mortality and morbidity in extremely preterm small for gestational age infants: a population based study.
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    ABSTRACT: To assess if growth restricted (small for gestational age, SGA) extremely preterm infants have excess neonatal mortality and morbidity. This was a cohort study of all infants born alive at 22-27 weeks' post menstrual age in Norway during 1999-2000. Outcomes were compared between those who were SGA, defined as a birth weight less than the fifth percentile for post menstrual age, and those who had weights at or above the fifth percentile. Of 365 infants with a post menstrual age of <28 weeks, 31 (8%) were SGA. Among infants with a post menstrual age of <28 weeks, only chronic lung disease was associated with SGA status (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.2). SGA infants with a post menstrual age of 26-27 weeks had excess neonatal mortality (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 11), chronic lung disease and a significantly higher mean number of days (age) before tolerating full enteral nutrition. SGA infants with a post menstrual age of 22-25 weeks had an excess risk of necrotising enterocolitis. Extremely preterm SGA infants had excess neonatal mortality and morbidity in terms of necrotising enterocolitis and chronic lung disease.
    Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition 05/2009; 94(5):F363-7. · 3.05 Impact Factor
  • Article: Maternal ratings of infant regulatory competence from 6 to 12 months: influence of perceived stress, birth-weight, and intervention: a randomized controlled trial.
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    ABSTRACT: Mothers' reports of preterm and term infants' temperament from 6 to 12 months of age were studied, with intervention and stress as predictors. Preterm infants with a birth weight <2000g were randomized to an intervention (71) or a control (69) group. A control group of healthy term infants (74) was also established. The intervention was a modified version of the "Mother-Infant Transaction Program", aimed at sensitizing caregivers to the infants' individual characteristics. Temperament was measured with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and stress with the Parenting Stress Index. There were no group differences in temperament at 6 or 12 months or in change during the same period. There was a strong association between stress and negative reactivity in the preterm control group at 12 months. In the preterm intervention group, there were strong negative correlations between stress and regulatory competence at 6 months. The intervention seemed to change the relationship between stress and temperament. The strength of this association indicates that the intervention sensitized mothers to the temperamental regulatory competence of their preterm infants.
    Infant behavior & development 03/2008; 31(3):408-21. · 1.34 Impact Factor
  • Article: A randomized controlled trial of an early intervention program in low birth weight children: outcome at 2 years.
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    ABSTRACT: Preterm infants are at increased risk of cognitive, motor and behavioral problems. Different intervention programs have been designed in an attempt to improve outcome, but the results are conflicting. To examine the effects of an early intervention program on cognitive, motor and behavioral problems and parenting stress among low birth weight children at 2 years corrected age. A randomized controlled trial was conducted including infants with a birth weight <2000 g treated at the University Hospital of North Norway, to examine the effects of a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program on cognitive, motor and behavioral outcomes and parenting stress. The children were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3 (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Index were administered to the parents at 2 years corrected age. Sixty-nine children in the intervention group and 67 in the control group were assessed at 2 years. There were no differences between the groups in cognitive or motor outcomes. The intervention group scored consistently lower on all CBCL syndrome scales, but no difference was significant. The mothers in the intervention group reported significantly lower parental stress in both child and parent domain, whereas the fathers reported lower stress in child domain compared to the control group. This early intervention program does not improve cognitive, motor or behavioral outcomes at 2 years. There was a significant reduction in parenting stress reported by both mothers and fathers in the intervention group.
    Early Human Development 03/2008; 84(3):201-9. · 2.05 Impact Factor
  • Article: Infant responsiveness and maternal confidence in the neonatal period.
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    ABSTRACT: Responsiveness in prematurely and term-born infants was studied cross-sectionally in relation to maternal confidence. Orientation and arousal were measured in 140 prematurely (mean BW 1,398 g, GA 30.1 weeks) and 75 term-born infants (mean BW 3,613 g, GA 39.3 weeks) with the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scales. Mothers filled out the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire and a modified version of the Parenting Stress Index. Prematurely born infants had a significantly lower level of arousal than term-born neonates. Responsiveness was not associated with maternal confidence. Lower confidence was associated with primiparity in both groups of mothers. Multiparous mothers of prematurely born infants had significantly lower levels of confidence than multiparous mothers of term-born infants. Confidence was significantly associated with stress for mothers of prematurely and term-born infants, and may be focused in follow-up after giving birth. Prematurely born infants should be examined more thoroughly in aspects of arousal at the time of discharge.
    Scandanavian Journal of Psychology 01/2008; 48(6):499-509. · 1.52 Impact Factor
  • Article: A population based 10-year study of neonatal air transport in North Norway.
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    ABSTRACT: This study audits the activity of the neonatal air transport team in Norway's two northernmost counties. Data on all air transports to or from the regional Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) Unit within a 10-year period were collected. Two hundred and thirty-eight acute transports were conducted during the study period; 169 referrals to the NICU and 69 transfers to national surgical and cardiac centres. Only 13 very low birth weight infants were transported; the in utero transport rate was 95% for this patient population. The adjusted risk of death and/or intracranial haemorrhage for outborn very low birth weight infants was five-fold increased compared to those not transported postnatally. Babies with congenital heart disease comprised the one-fourth of all transports. The long-term mortality was 14% for the whole study population, and 29% for infants with congenital heart disease. Only seven deaths (3.2%) were defined as being transport-related; death during or within 24 h after transport. However, preventable complications like temperature instability, hypoglycaemia and hypo-/hypercapnia occurred in 10-20% of all transports. The transport related mortality was low in this study, however very low birth weight infants and infants with major congenital heart disease showed a relatively poor outcome.
    Acta Paediatrica 08/2007; 96(7):995-9. · 2.07 Impact Factor
  • Article: Case 35-2006: a newborn boy with hypotonia.
    New England Journal of Medicine 03/2007; 356(8):874; author reply 874. · 53.30 Impact Factor
  • Article: Joint attention in term and preterm infants at 12 months corrected age: the significance of gender and intervention based on a randomized controlled trial.
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    ABSTRACT: This study tested the effects of optimized neonatal mother-infant transactions on joint attention performance at 12 months. Surviving infants <2000g from a geographically defined area were randomly assigned to a preterm intervention (n=71) or preterm control group (n=69). Comparisons were made between preterm groups, secondary with a term group (n=75). Joint attention was measured using the Early Social Communication Scales. Preterm intervention infants scored significantly higher than preterm control infants on elements Initiating Joint Attention (p<0.05), Initiating Object Requests (p<0.05), and Responding to Social Interaction (p<0.0005). Intervention was not associated with performance on elements Responding to Joint Attention, or on Responding to Requests. ELBW infants scored significantly lower than VLBW and LBW infants on imperative functions. Girls outperformed boys on all communication elements. An intervention implemented during the neonatal period can be of advantage for certain aspects of joint attention performance in preterm infants.
    Infant behavior & development 12/2006; 29(4):554-63. · 1.34 Impact Factor
  • Article: Emotional, behavioral, social, and academic outcomes in adolescents born with very low birth weight.
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    ABSTRACT: Very low birth weight survivors are at increased risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems and low social and academic competencies. Information on such problems in very low birth weight adolescents is still sparse. Our purpose for this work was to study gender-specific emotional and behavioral problems and social and academic competencies in a cohort of very low birth weight adolescents in north Norway. Families with very low birth weight adolescents aged 13 to 18 years, born between 1978 and 1989 (n = 162) were addressed by mail and asked to complete the Child Behavior Check List and the Youth Self-Report. Data were compared with 2 normative adolescent populations (Child Behavior Check List, n = 540; Youth Self-Report, n = 2522). Scores given by very low birth weight adolescents and their parents on identical items in Child Behavior Check List and Youth Self-Report (cross-informant syndrome constructs) were compared in pairs. To explore predictive effects, demographic and early medical characteristics were entered into a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. There were 156 eligible families, and 99 (63.5%) responded. All completed the Child Behavior Check List, and 82 (52.6%) completed the Youth Self-Report. Very low birth weight boys reported less externalizing and internalizing behaviors and thought and attention problems and higher activity score, whereas very low birth weight girls reported less externalizing behavior and less social, thought, and attention problems and higher activity score compared with normative adolescents. Very low birth weight parents, however, reported more social and attention problems and less social and school competence in boys and more internalizing behavior and social and attention problems and less school competence in girls compared with normative parents. They scored high proportions of both genders within the borderline/clinical range on all of the scales, except for externalizing behavior and social problems in girls. Female very low birth weight adolescents, in contrast to males, reported more problems than parents when compared in pairs, and externalizing problems in particular were not recognized by parents. From parents' point of view, significant proportions of very low birth weight adolescents experience more emotional and behavioral problems and less competence than normative adolescents. In contrast, very low birth weight adolescents state less problems and similar or higher competence than normative adolescents. Very low birth weight adolescent girls report more emotional and behavioral problems compared with their parents than very low birth weight adolescent boys do. Externalizing problems in very low birth weight adolescent girls are often not recognized by parents. To better understand these seemingly paradoxical findings and to develop adequate intervention programs, there is a need for prospective longitudinal studies.
    PEDIATRICS 09/2006; 118(2):e449-59. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: A randomized, controlled trial of the effectiveness of an early-intervention program in reducing parenting stress after preterm birth.
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    ABSTRACT: Preterm birth has been associated with increased parenting stress in early infancy, and some reports have found this to be a risk factor for later behavioral problems. There are, however, few studies and conflicting results. Information about the fathers is scarce. Our goal was to study the effects of an early-intervention program on parenting stress after a preterm birth until 1 year corrected age. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted including infants with a birth weight <2000 g treated at the University Hospital of North Norway Trust, which serves the 2 northern-most counties in Norway, to examine the effects of a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program on parenting stress measured by the Parenting Stress Index. A term control group was also recruited. The Parenting Stress Index was administered to the mothers at 6 and 12 months' corrected age and to the fathers at 12 months' corrected age. The intervention consisted of 8 sessions shortly before discharge and 4 home visits by specially trained nurses focusing on the infant's unique characteristics, temperament, and developmental potential and the interaction between the infant and the parents. Seventy-one infants were included in the preterm intervention group, and 69 were included in the preterm control group. The preterm groups were well balanced. Seventy-four infants were included in the term control group. Compared with the preterm controls, both the mothers and fathers in the preterm intervention group reported significant lower scores in child domain, parent domain, and total stress on all occasions except the mother-reported child domain at 12 months. These differences were not related to birth weight or gestational age. The level of stress among the preterm intervention group was comparable to their term peers. Both parents in the intervention group reported consistently lower scores within the distractibility/hyperactivity, reinforces parents, competence, and attachment subscales compared with the preterm control group. There were no differences in mean summary stress scores between the mothers and fathers in the 2 preterm groups at 12 months, but the intraclass correlation coefficient was higher in the intervention group. This early-intervention program reduces parenting stress among both mothers and fathers of preterm infants to a level comparable to their term peers. We are now studying whether this will result in long-term beneficial effects.
    PEDIATRICS 08/2006; 118(1):e9-19. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Early death, morbidity, and need of treatment among extremely premature infants.
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    ABSTRACT: To determine outcomes, in terms of perinatal and early death, need for treatment, and morbidity at the time of discharge home, among extremely preterm infants. A prospective observational study of all infants with a gestational age (GA) of 22 to 27 completed weeks or a birth weight of 500 to 999 g who were born in Norway in 1999 and 2000. Of 636 births, 174 infants (27%) were stillborn or died in the delivery room, 86 (14%) died in the NICU, and 376 (59%) were discharged from the hospital. The risk of being registered as stillborn or not being resuscitated increased with decreasing GA below 25 weeks. The survival rates for all births and for infants admitted to a NICU were, respectively, 0% for <23 weeks, 16% and 39% for 23 weeks, 44% and 60% for 24 weeks, 66% and 80% for 25 weeks, 72% and 84% for 26 weeks, 82% and 93% for 27 weeks, and 69% and 90% for >27 weeks. For the survivors, days of mechanical ventilation decreased from a median of 37 days to 3 days and the proportion in need of oxygen at 36 weeks' postconceptional age decreased from 67% to 26% at 23 and 27 weeks' GA, respectively. At 40 weeks' postconceptional age, the respective figures were 11% and 6%. The proportion with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) requiring treatment decreased from 33% for GA of 23 weeks to 0% for >25 weeks. Periventricular hemorrhage of more than grade 2 occurred for 6% of the survivors and significant periventricular leukomalacia occurred for 5%, with no significant association with GA. The proportion of survivors without severe neurosensory or pulmonary morbidity increased from 44% for 23 weeks' to 86% for 27 weeks' GA. Apart from ROP, the morbidity rate was not associated with GA. The survival rate was high and the morbidity rate at discharge home was low in the present study, compared with previous population-based studies. With the exception of ROP, the morbidity rates among the survivors were not higher at the lowest GAs, possibly because withholding treatment was considered more acceptable for the most immature infants. The need for intensive care increased markedly for survivors with the lowest GAs.
    PEDIATRICS 05/2005; 115(5):1289-98. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Major congenital heart disease in Northern Norway: shortcomings of pre- and postnatal diagnosis.
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    ABSTRACT: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Prenatal detection rate of CHD remains low in most European countries and a substantial proportion of infants with serious heart disease are diagnosed only after discharge from hospital after birth. Earlier recognition of treatable abnormalities may improve the perinatal outcome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence, pre- and postnatal diagnosis and outcome of major CHD in two northern-most counties of Norway. All cases of major CHD were identified by reviewing the records of all fetal and neonatal echocardiographies and all perinatal autopsies performed during the study period. Data were obtained on maternal age, associated risk factors, time of diagnosis, type of CHD and outcome. Ninety-one fetal and 52 neonatal echocardiographies and 77 perinatal autopsies were performed during the 2-year study period. There was a total of 5658 births during this period. Twenty-five cases of major CHD were identified. Six of them were diagnosed prenatally, 18 after birth, and one additional case was identified from the perinatal autopsy register. The incidence of major CHD in Northern Norway was 4.4 per 1000 births. The prenatal detection rate was 24% (6/25). In 39% (7/18) of cases diagnosed postnatally the diagnosis was made following a second admission after the baby has been initially discharged from hospital after birth. The mortality among liveborn infants with major CHD was 17.4% (4/23). Despite almost universal prenatal ultrasound screening and at least one neonatal examination before discharge, the diagnosis of major CHD is made after a relevant delay in a substantial proportion of cases.
    Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica 01/2005; 83(12):1124-9. · 1.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: [Neonatal medicine at the appropriate level of care?].
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    ABSTRACT: To explore the utilisation of neonatal care resources in the region. Place of birth, unit of admission, ventilator treatment, total and "unnecessary" length of stay in a tertiary unit, and to which location the children were discharged, were recorded from medical records of sick newborns from Finnmark transferred to the University Hospital of North Norway during 1992-99. 255 newborns from Finnmark County were admitted to the University Hospital, of which 175 (69%) were delivered at the University Hospital. 70 (28%) were primarily admitted to an inappropriate level of care. 93% of preterms less than 32 weeks of gestational age and 85% of preterms at 32-35 weeks were transported inutero to the University Hospital. In 16% of hospital days at the University Hospital, the level of care was considered inappropriate. 50% of the children were discharged to hospitals in Finnmark County, while 41% went home directly. 58% of the preterms spent their last days in hospital in the neonatal care unit in Hammerfest. Improvements could be made to the allocation of patients to appropriate level of care. Preterms less than 32 weeks are adequately selected for inutero transport. A higher proportion of large preterms should be delivered and treated at the neonatal care unit in Hammerfest.
    Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening 07/2003; 123(13-14):1849-51.