Pioneering care at unit treating Browns' baby
Despite medical advances, one in 10 babies born before they are due will die or have serious problems
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Your support makes all the difference.Jennifer Brown will benefit from a pioneering computerised monitoring system at the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion, where she is receiving emergency treatment.
The machine, invented by Professor Neil McIntosh, provides an early-warning system by recording the premature baby's heart rate and temperature, and the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in its blood. It is expected to save 600 babies' lives a year.
Jennifer, the daughter of the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and his wife, Sarah, was admitted to the unit on Friday and is being treated for a brain haemorrhage. She was born seven weeks early on 28 December.
She weighed 2lb 4oz at birth rather than the 4lb that would be expected at 33 weeks. However, she spent only a short time on a ventilator because she was said to have "a good set of lungs".
There are 50,000 premature babies born in Britain each year and most will grow into healthy children. But about one in 10 of them will die or develop serious disabilities.
Medical advances mean that babies born after 24 or 25 weeks of gestation can survive. The smaller and less developed babies are, though, at risk of a range of complications, including breathing difficulties, feeding problems, infections and brain haemorrhages. They often require specialist, round-the-clock care because their vital organs are not mature.
In general, babies born at 30 to 33 weeks have a high survival rate. But younger babies, who have underdeveloped lungs, are likely to have breathing problems. They may need medication and oxygen treatment.
Some babies also stop breathing for short periods of time and their heart rate drops because of another respiratory complication, which may require them to stay on a ventilator or be treated with oxygen.
Premature babies often have feeding problems because of their inability to suck and are likely to rely on an intravenous drip. Small babies are prone to inflammation of the gut, which may require surgery to remove part of the bowel.
They are also routinely given antibiotics because their immune systems are immature, putting them at greater risk of infection. Because their livers are not working efficiently, they are also likely to suffer from jaundice, caused by the build-up of bile pigment. This can be alleviated by bathing them with light, which breaks down the pigment .
Premature babies may have problems if a blood vessel near the heart that normally closes after birth stays open. This condition, called persistent ductus arteriosus, may require treatment with drugs or surgery.
The Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion treats about 7,000 babies each year and is the only maternity facility in Edinburgh. Next month it will be moved to the city infirmary's new £148m site at Little France, south-east Edinburgh.
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