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Published on: November 20, 2015
Early term infants are at increased risk of requiring neonatal intensive care
Pradeep Vittal Mally1, Nickolas Theophilos Agathis2, Sean Michael Bailey2
1New York University School of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. pradeep.mally@nyumc.org.
Insights
Infants born at early term (37-37 6/7 weeks) face higher risks of respiratory distress and hypoglycemia, often requiring neonatal intensive care. These findings highlight the need for strategies to reduce early term births.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Perinatal Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Emerging evidence links early term births (37-37 6/7 weeks) to increased infant morbidity.
- Infants born earlier in the term period exhibit higher risks compared to those born closer to 40 weeks gestation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare neonatal outcomes of early term infants with those of other full-term infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Main Methods:
- A retrospective chart review was conducted on term infants admitted to the NICU at New York University Langone Medical Center over 17 months.
- Infants were categorized into two groups: early term (37 0/7 to 37 6/7 weeks) and other term (38 0/7 weeks and older).
Main Results:
- Early term infants had a higher likelihood of NICU admission (RR=1.42, P=0.01).
- They were more prone to respiratory distress syndrome (OR=5.7, P<0.01) and hypoglycemia (OR=4.6, P<0.001).
- Elective cesarean sections were more common in early term neonates (OR=4.1, P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Early term birth is associated with significantly increased risks of respiratory issues and hypoglycemia requiring NICU admission.
- Interventions to reduce early term deliveries may be beneficial for improving neonatal outcomes.
Background:
Increasing evidence is demonstrating that infants born early on during the term period are at increased risk of morbidity compared with infants born closer to a complete 40 week gestational pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to compare early term [gestation age (GA): 37-37 6/7 weeks] neonatal outcomes with those of other full term neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions.
Methods:
Retrospective chart review of all term infants admitted to the NICU at New York University Langone Medical Center over a 17 month period. Subjects were grouped and analyzed according to their GA at birth: 1) early term infants (GA between 37 0/7 to 37 6/7 weeks) and 2) other term infants (38 0/7 weeks and older).
Results:
Early term infants were more likely to require NICU care than other term infants [relative risk: 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.07-1.88), P=0.01]. In the NICU, they are more likely to manifest respiratory distress syndrome [odds ratio (OR)=5.7, 95% CI=1.6-19.8, P<0.01] and hypoglycemia (OR=4.6, 95% CI=2.0-10.4, P<0.001). In addition, early term neonates were more likely to be born via elective cesarean section than other term neonates (OR=4.1, 95% CI=2.0-8.5, P<0.001).
Conclusions:
Being born at early term is associated with increased risk of respiratory disease and hypoglycemia requiring neonatal intensive care. Further efforts directed at decreasing early term deliveries may be warranted.
