The following is a summary of “Landscape of Resource Utilization after Resuscitation of 22-, 23-, and 24-Weeks’ Gestation Infants,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Daisy et al.
This multicenter retrospective cohort study investigated the estimated healthcare resources required for infants born at 22 through 24 weeks of gestational age. It aimed to provide insights into their care needs and inform resuscitation decisions. Drawing from data spanning nearly a decade and involving 1,505 live in-born and out-born infants across six pediatric tertiary care hospitals, the study employed median neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) length of stay (LOS) as a proxy for resource utilization, alongside assessments of comorbidities and medical technology use to gauge future care needs. Analysis revealed that 22-week infants, characterized by lower survival rates, had shorter median LOS than their 23- and 24-week counterparts. However, there was no significant difference in LOS among surviving infants born at 22 and 23 weeks. Furthermore, surviving 22-week infants exhibited comparable proportions of comorbidities and medical technology use as their 23-week counterparts.
These findings suggest that, contrary to concerns about increased resource utilization, 22-week infants do not impose a disproportionate burden on healthcare resources. Therefore, decisions regarding their resuscitation should not be based solely on assumptions about heightened care requirements. As advancements in resuscitation techniques and improvements in survival rates for 22-week infants continue to evolve, further research will be essential to monitor and understand any changes in resource utilization patterns over time.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347624001367