Admission of full-term infants to the neonatal intensive care unit: a 9.5-year review in a tertiary teaching hospital

Objective: The admission of full-term neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is not an uncommon occurrence. All newborns admitted to the NICU attain benefits, such as highly specialized care, but there are also associated risks and high cost. This study aimed at identifying the patterns of full-term neonatal admissions at the NICU. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out among all full-term neonates (>= 37-week gestation) admitted to the NICU at the First Hospital of China Medical University from 1 January, 2009 to 30 June, 2018. We excluded babies with congenital anomalies. The parameters about the demographic and clinical characteristics of mothers and infants were included. Results: The study included 1573 anonymous neonates. During the study period, the rate of admission of full-term infants to the NICU was 6.8%. Meanwhile, 55.0% of the babies were born after cesarean section. Of the cesarean section, 56.0% were performed selectively. The majority of the newborns (60.5%) were admitted during the first 24 h of life. Respiratory complications accounted for 33.5% of admissions, followed by hypoglycemia (17.5%), perinatal asphyxia (11.4%), and infection (6.5%). The mean duration of NICU stay was 10 +/- 2.5 days. Consequently, the mean expenditure associated with the NICU treatment amounted to $2052 for every infant. A total of 1369 infants (87.04%) survived until discharge. One infant died due to birth asphyxia. Conclusion: Some admissions could have been preventable, such as parent education on jaundice and weight control, regular, and continuous training of resuscitation skills and immediate actions needed for asphyxiated newborns.