OUTCOME AT SCHOOL‐AGE AFTER NEONATAL MECHANICAL VENTILATION

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Abstract
School-age children (103) aged 5 to 12 yr who survived mechanical ventilation for neonatal respiratory failure were evaluated for growth, neurological, intellectual, psychological and school function to determine those children most at risk for handicap. A major handicap occurred in 7 children, preventing attendance at normal school or normal classes. Neurological sequelae were significantly associated with perinatal asphyxia and with birthweights .ltoreq. 1500 g and neurological sequelae and socioeconomic factors were the major determinants of ability. The effects of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience on parents and subsequent parent-child relationships were also investigated: 67% of the mothers were upset by the experience and many continued to worry excessively about the health of their child. Parents who visited their child in the NICU frequently were significantly more anxious and overprotective, restricting many activities even when the child was of school age.