Need of hospital care for newborn infants. A population analysis of preterm infants and infants with respiratory disturbances.
In a prospective study of a total population the hospital resources required for the care of preterm infants and infants with respiratory disturbances (RD) were analyzed. 5.2% of all the infants were preterm and 7.6% developed RD. For the care of preterm infants the requirements were 63.8 beds per 1,000 annual preterm births of which 8.3 beds were attributable to the care of RD in these infants. Full term infants needed 0.88 hospital beds per 1,000 annual full term births for respiratory care. The number of days on ventilator for preterms was calculated to 2,044 per 1,000 annual preterm births. For preterm infants the mode of delivery was not found to affect the length of hospitalization. For the total population the average need of hospital days for full term infants because of RD was 0.29 days after vaginal delivery compared with 0.78 days after elective Caesarean section.
D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007902:Length of Stay; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000628:therapy*