EPIBEL Perinatal Dataset
Networks
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Variables
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Associated study
- Belgium
| Acronym | UA_EPIBEL |
|---|---|
| Name | Antwerp University EPIBEL |
| Study design | Cohort |
| Number of very preterm (VPT) and/or very low birthweight (VLBW) births included in cohort (live & still births) | 525 |
| Countries |
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Population
UA EPIBEL Cohort
During a 2-year period (January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2000), perinatal data of all inborn births with a GA between 22 and 26 completed weeks, ie, up to 26 weeks and 6 days' postmenstrual age, were collected in all perinatal centers in Belgium. During the same period, another 58 extremely preterm (EPT) infants with similar GA were admitted to the 19 centers after postnatal transfer within the first 24 hours. These outborn infants (16% of EPT infants admitted) are not included in additional analysis. Belgium has a population of ∼10 million people and nearly 115 000 annual births.
GA was defined as the best obstetric estimate using the information on the record form.
A standardized data set of 82 items, including demographic information about the mother and a large number of perinatal data until death, was used. Data were collected on all pregnancies with at least 1 fetus ≥22 weeks' GA showing signs of life at the onset of labor, resulting in a birth, death, or alive and whether admitted or not to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Full data collection was completed for all infants who were admitted to 1 of the 19 Belgian NICUs and for all infants who were still alive at the onset of labor in 14 of the 19 units. In the remaining 5 centers, data on nonadmitted neonates were not collected because of incomplete obstetric data or no access to the obstetric file.
Data Collection Event
Perinatal Assessment
Data were collected from hospital records using a standardised form. Data were collected on maternal sociodemographic information, maternal medical and obstetric history, pregnancy course, maternal transfers, pregnancy complications, treatment to maintain pregnancy, delivery, infant characteristics at birth, delivery room care, congenital anomalies, decisions to withhold or withdraw treatment, neonatal transfers, neonatal morbidity and medical treatment, nutrition, respiratory support, mortality and discharge information.