Table 1.
Patient demographics
| Variables | Tracheostomy (n = 26) | No tracheostomy (n = 28) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational age (weeks)a | 25 (24, 28) | 26 (25, 28) | 0.267 |
| Birth weight (grams)a | 743 (620, 950) | 855 (760, 1022) | 0.315 |
| Male sexb | 11 (42.3%) | 19 (67.9%) | 0.059 |
| Admission age (days)a | 68 (0, 103) | 1.5 (0, 32) | 0.006 |
| Respiratory support at 36 weeksb | |||
| Noninvasive (CPAP/NIV) | 7 (26.9%) | 16 (57.1%) | 0.016 |
| Invasive (endotracheal tube) | 14 (53.8%) | 7 (25.0%) | |
| Airway endoscopyb | 25 (96.2%) | 8 (28.6%) | <0.001 |
| Tracheobronchomalaciab | 10 (38.5%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Tracheostomy age (PMA, weeks) | 41 (38.4, 44.1) | N/a | |
| Length of stay (days) | 148 (105, 183) | 114 (102, 125) | 0.006 |
| Discharge age (PMA, weeks)a | 55.8 (53, 63) | 45.6 (42, 53) | <0.001 |
| Hearing aidsb | 4 (15.4%) | 1 (3.6%) | 0.184 |
| Tympanostomy tubesb | 3 (11.5%) | 1 (3.6%) | 0.342 |
| Maternal agea | 24 (21, 30) | 29 (21.5, 32) | 0.138 |
| Highest maternal educationb | |||
| High school not completed | 1 (3.8%) | 2 (7.1%) | 0.915 |
| High school/GED | 3 (11.5%) | 6 (21.4%) | |
| College | 6 (23.1%) | 5 (17.9%) | |
| Masters | 1 (3.8%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Unknown | 15 (57.7%) | 15 (53.6%) | |
| Maternal insuranceb | |||
| Medicaid | 13 (50%) | 20 (71.4%) | 0.134 |
| Private | 12 (46.2%) | 6 (21.4%) | |
| None | 1 (3.8%) | 2 (7.2%) | |
| Maternal race/ethnicityb | |||
| White | 22 (84.6%) | 12 (42.9%) | <0.001 |
| Black/African American | 1 (3.8%) | 12 (42.9%) | |
| Hispanic | 0 (0%) | 3 (10.7%) | |
| Other | 2 (7.7%) | 1 (3.6%) | |
| Unknown | 1 (3.8%) | 0 (0%) |
CPAP continuous positive airway pressure, NIV noninvasive ventilation, PMA postmenstrual age, GED general education diploma
aData presented as median (interquartile range)
bData presented as number (percentage)