Abstract
BEFORE 105–110 days gestational age (term is about 147 days) it is impossible to obtain independent survival of lambs delivered by Caesarean section, even on ventilation with 100 per cent oxygen1. This estimate of the ultimate limit of viability in sheep agrees well with the histological changes which begin in the lungs at about 90 days gestation2. The lamb is very mature at birth, so there was every reason to suppose that most lambs delivered prematurely would survive. However, 23 Clun-Hampshire lambs survived after being delivered (by Caesarean section under local or epidural anaesthesia) at 142 days gestation or more, whereas 4 of 23 that were delivered at 138–141 days gestation did not survive. The weights of these 4 lambs were 3.3–4.2 kg and they all appeared well developed. But they failed to maintain spontaneous breathing for more than a few minutes after the umbilical cord was tied, in spite of prolonged efforts at resuscitation by positive pressure ventilation with oxygen.
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DAWES, G. Premature Delivery and Survival in Lambs. Nature 207, 330 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/207330a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/207330a0
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