Study of Care and Short-Term Outcomes for Babies Born at 22 Weeks in UK Neonatal Intensive Care Units

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to collect and analyze information about babies born at 22 weeks of pregnancy in the UK to better understand their clinical care and outcomes. Since survival-focused care for these extremely premature babies has only been offered since 2019, there is limited data on how they respond to treatment and what challenges they face. The study gathers data from multiple neonatal intensive care units NICUs across the UK to improve knowledge for future care and support families. Data collection involves medical staff entering selected, anonymized information from babies medical records into a secure database. The study observes babies who are attended by neonatal teams at birth or admitted to NICUs within the first 72 hours of life. No changes are made to the babies care during the study, and a one-time survey of NICUs will assess unit approaches and equipment used for 22-week babies. Participants data, including clinical care details and short-term outcomes such as survival to discharge, are analyzed. Researchers will report on interventions across various care areas and outcomes like brain injury or infections. Parents receive information about data use, and individual babies cannot be identified in results. The study runs from admission until death or discharge from neonatal care, aiming to inform future research and improve care practices.

The UK 22 Week Study