Table 6.
Frequency of Medications and Medical Interventions as Documented in the Medical Chart
| Month prior (n = 326) n (%) | Week prior (n = 476) n (%) | McNemar test p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medication types | |||
| Antibiotic | 282 (86.5) | 396 (83.2) | <0.001 |
| Opioid | 219 (67.2) | 440 (92.4) | <0.001 |
| Benzodiazepine | 167 (51.2) | 302 (63.5) | <0.001 |
| Diuretic | 162 (49.7) | 177 (37.2) | 0.56 |
| Vasopressor | 158 (48.5) | 340 (71.4) | <0.001 |
| Steroid | 140 (42.9) | 261 (54.9) | 0.01 |
| Sucrose | 129 (39.6) | 138 (29.0) | <0.001 |
| Pulmonary inhaled | 94 (28.8) | 89 (18.7) | 0.06 |
| Antiepileptic | 80 (24.5) | 109 (22.9) | 0.48 |
| Acetaminophen | 65 (19.9) | 56 (11.8) | 0.04 |
| Gastrointestinal | 59 (18.1) | 53 (11.2) | 0.12 |
| NSAID | 52 (16.0) | 32 (6.7) | <0.001 |
| Vasodilator | 32 (9.8) | 44 (9.2) | 1.00 |
| Antispasmodic | 2 (0.6) | 9 (1.9) | 0.29a |
| Other | 285 (87.4) | 394 (82.8) | — |
| Medical interventions* | |||
| Common | |||
| Suction | 290 (89.0) | 433 (91.0) | 0.74 |
| Ventilator | 277 (85.0) | 436 (91.6) | 0.14 |
| PICC, CVC, UVC | 277 (85.0) | 412 (86.6) | 0.02 |
| TPN, intralipid | 253 (77.6) | 338 (71.0) | <0.001 |
| Feeding tube | 250 (76.7) | 359 (75.4) | 0.50 |
| Peripheral intravenous line | 219 (67.2) | 348 (73.1) | 0.66 |
| CPAP | 114 (35.0) | 126 (26.5) | <0.001 |
| Surgical | |||
| Gastrostomy tube | 28 (8.6) | 30 (6.3) | 0.69a |
| Tracheostomy | 26 (8.0) | 39 (8.2) | 0.63a |
| Surgery for NEC | 10 (3.1) | 60 (12.6) | <0.001 |
| Colostomy, ileostomy | 15 (4.6) | 20 (4.2) | 0.38a |
| ECMO | 11 (3.3) | 21 (4.4) | 1.00a |
| Ventriculoperitoneal shunt | 11 (3.3) | 12 (2.5) | 1.00a |
| PDA surgery | 9 (2.8) | 9 (1.9) | 0.77a |
Note: week before death = six days before death through date of death; month before death = four weeks before death—or date of birth if infant lived less than four weeks—through the first day of the last week of life. Bolded p-values are significant.
Indicates exact p-values. All other values should be assumed to be asymptotic.
Indicates t-test p-value of <0.05.
CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; CVC, central venous catheter; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus; PICC, peripherally inserted central catheter; TPN, total parenteral nutrition; UVC, umbilical venous catheter.