The Importance and Requirement of Palliative Care in Newborn Intensive Care Units

Purpose: Palliative care aims to give the necessary support to the mothers and infants / families after birth since the antenatal period. In this study, we aimed to determine the cases those palliative care should be given. Materials and Methods: Infants with birth weight ≤ 500 gr, gestational age <23 weeks and infants with a lethal or life threatening congenital anomaly or malformation (trismomes, syndromes, severe congenital heart disease, etc.), severe neonatal encephalopathy sequelae, congenital muscular disease were eligible. Fetus with severe congenital anomaly detected in antenatal follow-ups and resulted in (termination) therapeutic abortion was enrolled. Results: It has been determined that birth weight ≤ 500gr and / or infants whose gestational age was less than 23 weeks were not alive. Infants with trisomy 13, 18 and severe congenital heart disease, congenital muscle disease, severe neonatal encephalopathy, severe congenital hydrocephaly were determined to require palliative care until the end of life. It was identified that the fetuses which detected severe congenital anomaly and other causes during antenatal visits resulted in termination. Conclusion: Beginning from the antenatal period, it seems that there is a need for a national cohort that includes indications for palliative care initiation, care / support for family, transition to home, lifelong care and mental services / support