Rehospitalization of Low-birth-weight Infants Who Were Discharged from NICU

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We tried to compare normal term infants with low-birth-weight infants discharged from NICU by evaluating morbidity. So we studied rates of rehospitalization, reasons for rehospitalization and neonatal risk factors that affect rehospitalization of normal term infants and low-birth-weight infants discharged from NICU. METHODS: This study was performed on 217 low-birth-weight infants discharged from NICU and 126 normal term infants born in Presbyterian Medical Center from January 1992 to December 1994. RESULTS: Low-birth-weight infants discharged from NICU had higher rates of rehospitalization than normal term infants. Twenty-nine percent of low-birth-weight infants discharged from NICU were rehospitalized, compared with 12.7% of normal term infants(P<0.001). Rates of rehospitalization by birth weight was 45.5% in infants of 1500g or less and 31.2% in infants of 1500-1999g of birth weight. The rates of rehospitalization increased as birth weight decreased (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between 16.4% in infants of 2000-2500g of birth weight and 12.7% of normal term infants(P=0.442). Reasons for rehospitalization of low bith weight infants were respiratory problem(63.1%), congenital/developmental problem(10.8%), surgical problem(9.2%), G-I problem(7.7%), ophthalmic problem(3.1%), and cardiac problem(1.5%). Neonatal risk factors related to rehospitalization of low birth weight infants were mechanical ventilation, duration of mechanical ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and duration of hospitalization(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Rates of rehospitalization increased accordingly to decreasing birth weight. The most common cause of rehospitalization was respirartory problem. Neonatal risk factors related to rehospitalization were mechanical ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and duration of hospitalization. The data suggest that high risk infants of rehospitalization require close follow up.