Table 1:
Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of the Preterm Infant Cohort
| Characteristic | Group 1 (n = 35) | Group 2 (n = 40) | Group 3 (n = 25) | Total cohort (n = 100) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth GA (week) | 28.0 (25.7–28.86) | 32.1 (31.5–33.4) | 34.7 (34.3–35.1) | 31.9 (28.7–33.9) | <0.0001 |
| Male gender | 17 (49) | 24 (60) | 12 (48) | 53 (53) | 0.52 |
| Maternal age (years) | 32.9 (5.5) | 33.7 (4.8) | 33.7 (5.8) | 33.4 (5.3) | 0.76 |
| Maternal parity ≥1 | 15 (44) | 10 (27) | 11 (55) | 36 (40) | 0.09 |
| Twin gestation | 6 (17) | 10 (25) | 8 (32) | 24 (24) | 0.41 |
| FGR | 2 (6) | 6 (15) | 4 (16) | 12 (12) | 0.36 |
| Pre-eclampsia | 7 (20) | 9 (23) | 2 (8) | 18 (18) | 0.31 |
| PIH | 2 (6) | 2 (5) | 2 (8) | 6 (6) | 0.88 |
| Antenatal betamethasone | 32 (91) | 32 (80) | 17 (68) | 81 (81) | 0.07 |
| Birth via CS | 33 (94) | 34 (85) | 19 (76) | 86 (86) | 0.13 |
| Birth weight (grams) | 1006.1 (283.9) | 1728.9 (325.9) | 2223.6 (315.7) | 1599.6 (568.6) | <0.0001 |
| Head circumference (cm) | 25.6 (3.1) | 29.9 (1.9) | 31.8 (1.6) | 28.9 (3.4) | <0.0001 |
| Apgar score (5-minute) | 8 (6–8) | 9 (8–9) | 9 (8–9) | 8 (7–9) | 0.0006 |
| Maximal respiratory support: | |||||
| mechanical | 19 (54) | 4 (10) | 1 (4) | 24 (24) | <0.0001 |
| ventilation | 16 (46) | 31 (78) | 11 (44) | 58 (58) | |
| CPAP | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | |
| nasal cannula room air | 0 (0) | 4 (10) | 13 (52) | 17 (17) | |
| cGA when on room air (weeks) | 39.6 (37.4–40.9) | 36.6 (35.7–37.3) | 36.6 (35.9–37.1) | 36.9 (36.0–38.1) | <0.0001 |
| IVH bundle | 32 (91) | 3 (8) | 0 (0) | 35 (35) | <0.0001 |
| Caffeine exposure | 35 (100) | 18 (45) | 0 (0) | 53 (53) | <0.0001 |
| Age of first recording (hours) | 47.5 (24.8) | 43.4 (28.5) | 40.9 (31.2) | 44.2 (27.8) | 0.66 |
| Number of ANS recordings | 10.1 (4.5) | 4.2 (1.9) | 1.8 (0.9) | 5.7 (4.5) | <0.0001 |
| NICU duration (days) | 86.6 (63.1–106.6) | 28.8 (22.7–44.8) | 11.9 (10.1–19.5) | 33.5 (18.5–60.0) | <0.0001 |
| cGA at discharge (weeks) | 39.4 (3.2) | 36.8 (1.3) | 37.0 (1.4) | 37.7 (2.4) | <0.0001 |
Categorical data is reported as N(%) and continuous data is reported as median (Q1-Q3) or as mean (SD)
Abbreviations: cGA = corrected gestational age, CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure, FGR = fetal growth restriction, CS = cesarean section, GA = gestational age, Group 1 = birth GA ≤29 weeks, Group 2 = birth GA 30–33 weeks, Group 3 = birth GA ≥34 weeks, PIH = pregnancy-induced hypertension