Premature newborn care

New Ballard Score[32]Ballard JL, Khoury JC, Wedig K, et al. New Ballard Score, expanded to include extremely premature infants. J Pediatr. 1991 Sep;119(3):417-23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1880657?tool=bestpractice.com

Postnatal methods of determining gestational age in premature infants have been developed and validated. The New Ballard Score allows for gestational assessment in infants as early as 20 weeks' gestation, and uses parameters of physical (6 criteria) and neurologic (6 criteria) maturity to reach a score that correlates with gestational age. This is the most commonly used tool for postnatal assessment of gestational age, due to its ease of use and the limited accuracy of other methods of gestational age determination. The New Ballard Score complements estimates of gestational age from the history or ultrasound findings. [Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: Physical maturity, New Ballard Scoring SheetFrom Journal of Pediatrics 1991;119:417-423; used with permission [Citation ends].[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: Neuromuscular maturity, New Ballard Scoring SheetFrom Journal of Pediatrics 1991;119:417-423; used with permission [Citation ends].[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: Maturity rating, New Ballard Scoring SheetFrom Journal of Pediatrics 1991;119:417-423; used with permission [Citation ends].