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. 2018 Aug;38(8):1068-1073.
doi: 10.1038/s41372-018-0136-5. Epub 2018 May 25.

NICU management and outcomes of infants with trisomy 21 without major anomalies

Sarah McAndrew  1 , Krishna Acharya  1 , T Hang Nghiem-Rao  1 , Steven Leuthner  1 , Reese Clark  2 , Joanne Lagatta  3
Affiliations

NICU management and outcomes of infants with trisomy 21 without major anomalies

Sarah McAndrew et al. J Perinatol. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To describe how trisomy 21 affects neonatal intensive care management and outcomes of full-term infants without congenital anomalies.

Study design: Retrospective cohort of full-term infants without anomalies with and without trisomy 21 admitted to Pediatrix NICUs from 2005 to 2012. We compared diagnoses, management, length of stay, and discharge outcomes.

Results: In all, 4623 infants with trisomy 21 and 606 770 infants without trisomy 21 were identified. One-third of infants in the NICU with and without trisomy 21 were full term without major anomalies. Trisomy 21 infants had more respiratory distress, thrombocytopenia, feeding problems, and pulmonary hypertension. They received respiratory support for a longer period of time and had a longer length of stay.

Conclusion: One-third of infants with trisomy 21 admitted to the NICU are full term without major anomalies. Common diagnoses and greater respiratory needs place infants with trisomy 21 at risk for longer length of stay.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

To the best of our knowledge, no conflict of interest, financial or other, exists for any authors. Funding for this study was supported by a Medical College of Wisconsin Presidential Faculty Scholar Award (Lagatta).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. NICU admissions of infants with and without T21 by presence of major anomaly and prematurity.
Figure 1 shows infants with and without T21 admitted to 277 Pediatrix NICUs between 2005–2012, categorized by whether the infant had a major anomaly, was born preterm, or neither. Abbreviations: T21, Trisomy 21. Major anomaly was defined according to those listed in Appendix A. Prematurity was defined as <37° weeks’ gestation.
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