title: Early term infants are at increased risk of requiring neonatal intensive care.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. pradeep.mally@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Pradeep Vittal
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Mally
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Nickolas Theophilos
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Agathis
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sean Michael
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: gestational age; hypoglycemia; neonatology; respiratory distress syndrome