Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics and Clinical Course
| Morphine sedation (n = 141) | No morphine sedation (n = 28) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth weight g, mean (SD) | 3434 (569) | 3348 (522) | 0.4 |
| Gestation weeks, mean (SD) | 39.9 (1.5) | 39.7 (1.2) | 0.5 |
| Cord blood pH, mean (SD) | 6.9 (1.9) | 6.9 (1.9) | 0.6 |
| Cord blood base excess, mean (SD) | −14.7 (7.1) | −15.7 (6.2) | 0.5 |
| Apgar 10 minutes, median (IQR) | 5.3 (2.2) | 5.6 (2) | 0.61 |
| Encephalopathy stage at admission | |||
| Moderate, n (%) | 123 (87) | 27 (96) | 0.21 |
| Severe, n (%) | 18 (13) | 1 (4) | |
| Clinical course | |||
| PPHN, n (%) | 16 (12) | 0 (0) | 0.08 |
| Pulmonary bleed, n (%) | 3 (2) | 0 | 0.6 |
| Anticonvulsant use, n (%) | 79/128 (62) | 10/19 (53) | 0.45 |
| Hypotension, n (%) | 68 (49) | 7 (25) | 0.02 |
| Blood stream positive sepsis, n (%) | 10/132 (8) | 0/26 (0) | 0.37 |
| Hospital stay days, mean (SD) | 12 (7) | 9 (4) | 0.009 |
Hypotension, persistent mean blood pressure of <40 mmHg; IQR, interquartile range; PPHN, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (Severe hypoxemia disproportionate to the severity of lung disease and evidence of a right to left shunt); SD, standard deviation.