Chat with paediatricians about new guidelines for babies born before week 23

Public broadcaster SVT hosted a live chat on Friday with paediatrician Kajsa Kaijser and reporter Karolina Skoglund to discuss updated medical-ethical recommendations for infants born before week 23 of pregnancy.

The new guidelines, issued by the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics, advise against attempting to save babies delivered before week 23 in most cases. The change follows an investigation by SVT’s investigative programme Uppdrag Granskning, which found that some hospitals provided life-sustaining interventions to infants born in week 21—a point still within the legal abortion limit.

Kaijser, a neonatologist at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, and Skoglund answered viewer questions about the rationale behind the recommendations, the medical community’s response and the practical implications if a child is born in week 22. The live session began at 13:00 CET.

The recommendations fall under Sweden’s framework for medical ethics, which guides decisions on viability and end-of-life care for extremely preterm infants.