Characteristics of clinical course and treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
| Characteristics | Number (%) or median (IQR) | ||
| Gestational age (GA) | |||
| GA <32 weeks (n=86) | GA ≥32 weeks (n=98) | Total (n=184) | |
| 5 min Apgar score ≤6, n (%) | 6 (7) | 0 (0) | 6 (3) |
| Major birth defects*, n (%) | 4 (5) | 21 (21) | 25 (14) |
| Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 44 (51) | 48 (49) | 92 (50) |
| Chronic lung disease, n (%) | 28 (33) | 6 (6) | 34 (18) |
| With postnatal corticosteroids | 6 (21) | 2 (33) | 8 (24) |
| Without postnatal corticosteroids | 22 (79) | 4 (67) | 26 (76) |
| Sepsis, n (%) | 67 (78) | 56 (57) | 123 (67) |
| Positive blood culture | 8 (12) | 14 (25) | 22 (18) |
| Negative blood culture† | 59 (88) | 42 (75) | 101 (82) |
| Shock‡ during hospital stay, n (%) | 11 (13) | 15 (15) | 26 (14) |
| CPR during hospital stay, n (%) | 7 (8) | 5 (5) | 12 (7) |
| Necrotising enterocolitis, n (%) | 8 (9) | 3 (3) | 11 (6) |
| Surgery§, n (%) | 12 (14) | 21 (21) | 33 (18) |
| Clinical seizure, n (%) | 0 (0) | 3 (3) | 3 (2) |
| Abnormal cerebral ultrasound, n (%) | 19/86 (22) | 18/91 (20) | 37/177 (21) |
| Periventricular leukomalacia | 1 (5) | 1 (6) | 2 (5) |
| Intracranial haemorrhage grade I or II | 14 (74) | 12 (67) | 26 (70) |
| Intracranial haemorrhage grade III or IV | 2 (11) | 1 (6) | 3 (8) |
| Other¶ | 2 (11) | 4 (22) | 6 (16) |
| Laser ROP, n (%) | 12/82 (15) | 1/49 (2) | 13/131 (10) |
| Length of stay (days), median (IQR) | 48 (36, 71) | 24 (15, 35) | 34 (21, 51) |
Antenatal steroid use was not reported because of insufficient information from referral letters between hospitals and only indicated for impending premature delivery with GA <35 weeks.
There were two infants whose data could not be completed because of missing information on the medical records.
Because of rounding, percentages may not total 100.
↵*Major birth defects included esophageal atresia (5), intestinal atresia (4), imperforate anus (3) gastroschisis (9), diaphragmatic hernia (2), sacrococcygeal teratoma (1) and pulmonary atresia (1).
↵†Suspected sepsis based on clinical signs and biomarkers for septicemia.
↵‡Shock is considered as circulatory failure that requires vasopressors and fluid resuscitation.
§Surgery includes repairs of congenital malformations (24), volvulus from intestinal malrotation (1), peritonitis due to gastrointestinal perforation (4) and patent ductus arteriosus ligation (4).
¶Other abnormalities on cerebral ultrasound include calcified nodes at the putamen (1), mild enlargement of frontal subarachnoid space (1), mild enlargement of posterior fossa (1), mild enlargement of anterior horn of left lateral ventricle (1), mild enlargement of both lateral ventricles (1) and mild hydrocephalus plus mildly enlarged posterior fossa (1).
CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; ROP, retinopathy of prematurity.