Premature babies born at 22 weeks are a "gray zone" for hospitals, which must decide whether or not to offer treatment, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 7.
There is general consensus that babies born at 25 or 26 weeks can and should be treated, and those born at 20 weeks or less are too small to save, but in between is a "gray zone." About 8,000 infants are born between 22 and 24 weeks gestation in the U.S. each year and most can only be treated at level 3 or 4 NICUs.
Only 45% of NICUs choose to provide treatment to babies at 22 weeks gestation, a JAMA Network Open study found. There is no comprehensive public list of hospitals that do offer treatment to 22- or 23-week-old babies.
Medical advances allow hospitals to have an average 67% survival rate for premature babies born at 22 weeks; however, many choose not to invest in the equipment or treatment required, the Journal reported. Some systems said treatment is likely to fail and can cost more than $100,000 per child, and these tiny patients can go through needless pain and be put at risk long-term disabilities in the process.
In a group of more than 10,000 babies born at academic medical centers between 2013 and 2018, only 30% of infants offered medical treatment at 22 weeks survived long enough to go home.
Instead of treatment, many hospitals provide comfort care to ease the child's final moments.