Admission of term infants to the neonatal intensive care unit in a Saudi tertiary teaching hospital: cumulative incidence and risk factors

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of term infants of appropriate birthweight receive care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the prevalence, patterns, and risk factors for admission of term infants to a NICU to identify areas for quality improvement. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study. SETTING: An academic and referral center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The cases were all term infants (≥37 weeks gestational age) admitted to the NICU between 1 January and 31 December 2015. The controls were term infants who were not admitted to the NICU. Cases and controls were matched in a 1:1 ratio according to the date of birth (within one day). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence, pattern, and risk factors for admission of term infants to the NICU. RESULTS: The rate of admission of term infants to the NICU during the study period was 4.1% (142 of 3314 live births in that year). Respiratory complications accounted for 36.6% (52/142) of admissions, followed by hypoglycemia (23/142, 16.2%) and jaundice (11/142, 7.7%). Premature membrane rupture and non-Saudi national status were the risk factors that remained significant after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSION: A growing number of term infants are admitted unexpectedly to the NICU. The risk factors and pattern of admission of term infants to the NICU should receive more attention in quality improvement and management agendas. LIMITATIONS: This was a single-center study with limited access to information about unbooked mothers and details of the hospital stay of the admitted neonates.