Patterns of Delivery Following in Utero Transfer for Extremely Preterm Birth: A Retrospective Cohort Study From a London Tertiary Centre - Scorecard - MDSpire
Clinical Scorecard: Delivery Patterns After In Utero Transfer for Extremely Preterm Birth: A Retrospective Cohort Study at a London Tertiary Centre
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Threatened extremely preterm birth requiring consideration of in utero transfer (IUT).
Key Mechanisms
The source states that IUT is associated with better neonatal outcomes than postnatal transfer and allows birth at a tertiary neonatal unit; these are claims from cited evidence, not findings of this cohort.
Target Population
Women accepted for IUT at 22+0–27+6 weeks’ gestation, or at 28–29 weeks when multiples were present or expected birth weight was under 800 g.
Care Setting
Retrospective cohort at St George’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a tertiary NICU in the London Operational Delivery Network.
Key Highlights
The study assessed delivery patterns after IUT at a London tertiary neonatal centre from January 2021 through December 2025.
The supplied excerpt describes the study design and methods but does not include cohort results; do not report episode counts, delivery proportions, gestational-age distributions, or indication frequencies without the results section.
The study planned to assess transfer-to-delivery intervals and maternal length of stay; results are not present in the supplied excerpt.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
The study required a clinical diagnosis of threatened preterm birth but does not provide diagnostic criteria.
Management
The source states that BAPM guidance, including the BAPM Passport, strongly advocates IUT when preterm birth is expected.
The source describes IUT as the optimal standard of care for extremely preterm infants where feasible.
Monitoring & Follow-up
The study recorded gestational age at transfer, transfer indication, transfer-to-delivery interval, and maternal length of stay; the excerpt provides no monitoring protocol.
Risks
The source states that maternal clinical instability, precipitous preterm birth, or logistical obstacles may make postnatal transfer necessary.
The introduction reports cited evidence associating postnatal transfer among extremely preterm infants with higher neonatal mortality, approximately twofold risk of severe brain injury including IVH, and less favourable neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Women accepted for IUT for threatened extremely preterm birth at the study centre; the supplied excerpt does not report the number of episodes.
The study examined IUT. The supplied excerpt does not report delivery outcomes or medication and prescribing regimens.
Clinical Best Practices
The source states that, where feasible, IUT is regarded as the optimal standard of care for extremely preterm infants, enabling birth at a centre with a collocated NICU.
