Christiana Care News
Dr. Hoffman Co-Authors Study on Late Pre-Term Births
Posted on July 29, 2010
Christiana Care participated in a study published in the July 28 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association that finds the likelihood of having a baby with respiratory problems shortly after birth substantially increases for late preterm infants – those born between 34 and 36 weeks – compared with full-term births at 38 to 40 weeks.
Data from 15,000 births at Christiana Care contributed to the findings. Matt Hoffman, M.D., director of OB/GYN Education & Research at Christiana Care, was a co-author.
A retrospective analysis of more than 200,000 deliveries in the U.S. over a six-year period found that rates of respiratory distress syndrome and other lung problems were significantly increased for late preterm babies compared with full term infants – but the odds decreased with each added week of gestational age up to 38 weeks, according to the study.
"We believe this study represents an important opportunity to educate both parents and obstetricians about the impact of delivering between 34 to 36 weeks,” says Dr. Hoffman. “Members of the research team in the department of OB/GYN at Christiana Care were honored to both help develop and participate in this research. This study, which combined information on deliveries from 12 institutions, will continue to provide valuable information on how to better deliver care to pregnant women and their children."
For media inquiries, call Kate Klemas at 302-327-3327, Jay Moorhead at 302-327-3394 or Bill Schmitt at 302-327-3318.
