Medical advancements spur debate on treatment of premature babies

Full-term for a baby, of course is 39 or 40 weeks ... making 22 weeks, when Domenica was born, just over half. And many times, babies born that early have been considered — to use the technical term — "unviable." That's long been the advice of North American medical associations, and it means that in some hospitals, treatment may not be available or offered for a baby born so prematurely.

Now, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that a small margin of babies born at 22 weeks can survive if given medical treatment as Domenica was. And that has many asking whether medical associations should change their advice.

Dr. Annie Janvier was a member of the team of doctors who treated Domenica when she was born at just over 22 weeks. She is a Neonatologist at the Sainte-Justine University Health Centre and a professor of clinical ethics at the University of Montreal. She also had a child born at 24 weeks.
 

We also asked the Canadian Paediatric Society for an interview today. No one was made available, but the society sent a statement that reads:

In the last year there have been several new studies and findings on this subject. The CPS will be reviewing this information to develop well-informed, evidence-based recommendations as they relate to the needs of Canadians. During the review process, the CPS will ensure to communicate with stakeholders, including neonatologists outside of our committee and membership, and parents.

For many years, Arthur Schafer was an ethics consultant for the neonatal intensive care unit of Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre.... which meant he's struggled with these very questions. Now, he's director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba. 
 

Based on what you've heard here, or on your own experiences: How far do you think we should go to save extremely premature babies?

You can always e-mail us, we're thecurrent@cbc.ca. We're easy to find on Facebook or on Twitter @TheCurrentCBC.

​This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins, Kristin Nelson and Marc Apollonio.