Since 2011, nearly 7,000 premature infants have been enrolled in the EPIPAGE 2 study. This study is aimed at assessing the survival of infants born between 22 and 34 weeks’ gestation, and their subsequent outcomes. Compared with data from the EPIPAGE 1 cohort in 1997, the proportion of infants born in 2011 from the 25th week of gestation, who survived without severe neonatal disease, showed a definite increase. However, survival is still rare for infants born before 25 weeks. These results make it possible to establish the prognosis for very premature and extremely premature infants, and review the changes that have occurred in the last 15 years. They provide useful information to medical teams caring for infants and supporting families.

This study, carried out by researchers from the Inserm EPOPé team—“Obstetrical, Perinatal, and Pediatric Epidemiology Team,” at the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Research Centre (CRESS, Inserm/Paris Descartes University Unit 1153)—is published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

http://presse-inserm.fr/en/survival-of-very-premature-infants-is-improving-in-france-first-results-of-the-epipage-2-study/17643/