Early discharge of infants and risk of readmission for jaundice

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Samantha J Lain1, Christine L Roberts2, Jennifer R Bowen3

  • 1Kolling Institute Clinical and Perinatal Population Health Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; and Samantha.lain@sydney.edu.au.

Pediatrics
|January 14, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Early hospital discharge for newborns increases jaundice readmission risk, especially for premature infants. Risk factors include vaginal birth, Asian maternal origin, first-time mothers, and breastfeeding at discharge.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Public health
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Early discharge after birth is common.
  • Jaundice is a frequent reason for neonatal readmission.
  • Identifying at-risk infants is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the link between early hospital discharge and jaundice readmission in term infants.
  • To identify perinatal risk factors for jaundice readmission in early-discharged infants.

Main Methods:

  • Linked birth and hospital admission data for 781,074 term infants in New South Wales (2001-2010).
  • Used logistic regression to analyze the association between postnatal length of stay (LOS) and gestational age (GA) with readmission for jaundice within 14 days.
  • Examined risk factors for readmission in infants discharged within 2 days.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 8 in 1000 term infants were readmitted for jaundice.
  • Infants born at 37 weeks' GA with LOS of 0-2 days had over 9 times higher readmission risk (aOR 9.43).
  • Infants born at 38 weeks' GA with LOS of 0-2 days had 4 times higher readmission risk (aOR 4.05).
  • Other risk factors included vaginal birth, Asian maternal origin, first-time mothers, and breastfeeding at discharge.

Conclusions:

  • Early discharge (0-2 days) significantly increases jaundice readmission risk for term infants.
  • Specific perinatal factors identify infants needing closer post-discharge monitoring.
  • Findings can inform guidelines for identifying at-risk infants and ensuring adequate follow-up care.
Abstract

Keywords:
early dischargeearly termhospital readmissionjaundice

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