Senfølger efter alvorlig hjerneblødning hos 23 præmature børn. Forældrenes opfattelse

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral hemorrhage in very premature infants results in high mortality and increases the risk of handicap. The aim of the study was to evaluate: 1) the parental opinion of the child's motor function, 2) their opinion of the child's development compared to their expectations, and 3) how they experienced the information given by nurses and doctors at the time of the diagnosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Parents of 23 of 24 premature infants answered a questionnaire. During the neonatal period all infants had suffered from a major cerebral hemorrhage. The children had reached an age between two and seven years.

RESULTS: Half of the children had motor deficits (48%), and 22% of the children had severe motor problems. Future development and motor function were reliably estimated by the doctors during the neonatal period. Most of the parents (79%), however, estimated that their child's development was better than expected. The majority of the parents were satisfied with the information that had been given at the time of diagnosis, and they had received adequate support.

DISCUSSION: Cerebral hemorrhage in premature infants is still a major problem. Our results, however, do not suggest major change of clinical practice.