Is intensive care for very immature babies justified?

Question

Opinions and arguments please

Very immature and premature mean the same thing. By saying very immature I mean before 26 weeks gestation.

Answer 1

it is presumed you mean premature babies,Of course they should be given intensive care, there should be no discussion to the contrary, Unless there is substantial Medical Evidence that the intensive care situation is detrimental to the child in question.

Answer 2

Immature babies? Or do you mean premature?

Immature babies are people that whine alot, premature babies are those born way to early.

If you are talking about premies, are you asking whether the cost is justified? I would say so, a high percent survuve, but it costs a lot, although we all pay due to higher insuarance premiums. I would expect that fewer will survive once we have Socialist medicine here in the U.S. because fewer will be treated due to the red tape that will be involved.

Edit: The reason I ask is I know about 10 Neonatologists (lived with one for awhile and worked with 4 for about 7 years) and never heard any of them say immature, so I just wanted to be sure, sorry.

But according to my friends and colleagues, when they started in their practices (back in the 70s) they lost most of them, today they save most of them. The big thing, as mentioned, is lung development and with the use of "surfactants" they are able really help their lung development along. As to whether the cost is justified I think so. Think of the money that we spend to save people who only have a few years of life ahead of them, so just on a cost/benefit ratio, spending $300,000 to save someone who might live another 75 years makes a lot more sense than spending $50,000 to save some who might live another 12.

Answer 3

Absolutely.

I have four children. If they had been born early I would not have hesitated to give them whatever care they needed to survive. UNLESS.....if my child was so underdeveloped that the only way they would remain alive is by machine, then I would not do that; instead I would allow my child to die peacefully. Basically, if a child has a real chance of survival then everything should be done to help them.

My Mom has been a Labor and Delivery Nurse for almost 20 years. She has seen them survive at 23 weeks.

Answer 4

I think lung development is a big issue. That is one think that fully develops in the very last weeks of pregnancy and many premature babies need help breathing. I am no medical expert, though,

Answer 5

Only if they want the baby