Mental performance of very low birth weight preterm infants: assessment of stability in the first two years of life and factors associated with mental performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of mental performance of very low birth weight premature infants during the first two years of life, and to identify factors associated with mental performance.The study included 109 children. The Mental Scale of Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second Edition was administered at 6, 12 and 18-24 months of corrected age. The stability of the scores between assessments was verified by the analysis of variance for repeated measures.The association of the major social and neonatal characteristics with mental development was confirmed using multivariate analysis by linear regression, considering the following outcomes: mental development indices at 6 months, 12 months and between 18-24 months of corrected age. The mean Mental Developmental Index (MDI) was 83.4 (SD: 12.4) at 6 months, 86.4 (SD: 13.9) at 12 months, and 73.4 (SD: 14.5) at 18-24 months. A significant decrease in the mental developmental index (13 points) at 18-24 month corrected age was observed. The Mental development index did not show stability during the first two years of life in this population of preterm infants, except for children with neonatal pneumonia whose performance was unsatisfactory in all assessments. Among the risk factors investigated only male gender and neonatal pneumonia were associated with outcomes.

Desempenho mental de bebês pré-termo de muito baixo peso ao nascer: avaliação da estabilidade nos dois primeiros anos de vida e fatores associados ao desempenho mental / Mental performance of very low birth weight preterm infants: assessment of stability in the first two years of life and factors associated with mental performance

O objetivo do estudo foi investigar a estabilidade do desempenho mental de bebês prematuros de muito baixo peso ao nascer ao longo dos dois primeiros anos de vida e identificar os fatores associados ao seu desempenho mental. Estudo de coorte com 109 crianças. A Escala Mental da Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second Edition foi aplicada aos 6, aos 12 e entre 18-24 meses de idade corrigida. A estabilidade dos escores entre as avaliações foi investigada através de análise de variância para medidas repetidas. A associação entre as características neonatais e sociais no desenvolvimento mental foi verificada por análise multivariada através de regressão linear, considerando como desfechos os Índices de Desenvolvimento Mental aos 6 meses, 12 meses e entre 18-24 meses de idade corrigida. A média do Índice de Desenvolvimento Mental aos 6 meses foi 83,4 (DP: 12,4), aos 12 meses foi 86,4 (DP: 13,9) e aos 18-24 meses foi 73,4 (DP: 14,5). Observou-se uma diminuição significativa de 13 pontos no escore aos 18-24 meses de idade corrigida. O Índice de Desenvolvimento Mental não apresentou estabilidade ao longo dos dois primeiros anos de vida nesta população de prematuros, exceto para as crianças que tiveram pneumonia neonatal, cujo desempenho foi insatisfatório em todas as avaliações. Dos fatores de risco investigados, apenas o sexo masculino e a pneumonia neonatal estiveram associados aos desfechos.

The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of mental performance of very low birth weight premature infants during the first two years of life, and to identify factors associated with mental performance.The study included 109 children. The Mental Scale of Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second Edition was administered at 6, 12 and 18-24 months of corrected age. The stability of the scores between assessments was verified by the analysis of variance for repeated measures.The association of the major social and neonatal characteristics with mental development was confirmed using multivariate analysis by linear regression, considering the following outcomes: mental development indices at 6 months, 12 months and between 18-24 months of corrected age. The mean Mental Developmental Index (MDI) was 83.4 (SD: 12.4) at 6 months, 86.4 (SD: 13.9) at 12 months, and 73.4 (SD: 14.5) at 18-24 months. A significant decrease in the mental developmental index (13 points) at 18-24 month corrected age was observed. The Mental development index did not show stability during the first two years of life in this population of preterm infants, except for children with neonatal pneumonia whose performance was unsatisfactory in all assessments. Among the risk factors investigated only male gender and neonatal pneumonia were associated with outcomes.

Quando a vida começa diferente: o bebê e sua família na UTI neonatal / Criança Mulher e Saúde

Busca esclarecer e aconselhar pais e familiares que são obrigados a vivenciar, por poucos dias ou muitos meses, a estressante rotina de uma UTI neonatal. Pretende-se confortar os familiares e, conseqüentemente, seus bêbes, por meio da difusão de informações que podem ser úteis para desvendar um mundo desconhecido como o da UTI para recém-nascidos