Can we estimate the length of stay of very preterm multiples?

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition Vol. 104; no. 5; pp. F568 - F570
• Main Authors: Seaton, Sarah E, Draper, Elizabeth S, Abrams, Keith R, Modi, Neena, Manktelow, Bradley N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.09.2019
• Subjects: Babies; Birth rate; Collaboration; England; Estimates; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant, Extremely Premature; Infant, Newborn; Intensive care; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal - statistics & numerical data; Intensive Care, Neonatal - statistics & numerical data; International studies; Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data; Multiple Birth Offspring - statistics & numerical data; Multiple births; Neonatal care; Newborn babies; Premature birth; England; United Kingdom > UK; length of stay; neonatal intensive care; neonatology
• ISSN: 1359-2998; 1468-2052
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2018-316321

Correspondence to Dr Sarah E Seaton, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK; sarah.seaton@leicester.ac.uk In our recent paper1 we provided estimates of length of stay for very preterm (24–31 weeks gestational age) singleton babies admitted for neonatal care in units within England. [...]in our data, for sets of twins who survived to discharge, 68% were discharged on the same day.Table 1 Observed median length of stay (25th, 75th centile) for multiples who survive to discharge from neonatal care compared with the prediction from the singleton model Gestational age Days to due date Observed multiples Singleton model Difference between multiples and singletons 24 112 126 (114, 145) 123 (104, 139) +3 (+10,+6) 25 105 108 (96, 124) 107 (88, 125) +1 (+8,–1) 26 98 95 (80, 109) 92 (74, 109) +3 (+6, 0) 27 91 80 (68, 94) 79 (63, 96) +1 (+5,–2) 28 84 67 (58, 79) 66 (52, 82) +1 (+6,–3) 29 77 53 (47, 65) 53 (43, 66) 0 (+4,–1) 30 70 45 (37, 53) 42 (34, 52) +3 (+3,+1) 31 63 35 (29, 42) 34 (28, 41) +1 (+1,+1) We have demonstrated that the length of stay for multiples is similar to singletons, and therefore the broad estimates used for singletons may be appropriate for all very preterm babies. The impact of the increasing number of multiple births on the rates of preterm birth and low birthweight: an international study.