El prematuro tardío: el gran olvidado

Abstract

Late preterm infants are born at a gestational age between 34 and 36 weeks and 6 days. These children have higher morbidity than term infants due to their relative physiologic and metabolic immaturity, leading to a longer average birth hospital stay with a higher cost of care. Moreover, the rate of readmission and mortality are also higher than in term infants. The purpose of this review is to define "late-preterm", describe medical complications and risks that are commonly found in this group of children, present the characteristics of late-preterm infants that predispose them to higher morbidity and mortality and suggest guidelines for assessment and management of these patients after birth.