Infections and risk-adjusted length of stay and hospital mortality in Polish Neonatology Intensive Care Units

•Infections among VLBW newborns double the stay in NICU.•Infections among VLBW newborns do not correlate with mortality rates.•Infections are an independent factor of prolonged hospitalization in NICUs.

BackgroundThe objectives of this study were to analyze the impact of infections on prolonging hospital stay with consideration of underlying risk factors and determining the mortality rates and its association with infections.MethodsAn electronic database developed from a continuous prospective targeted infection surveillance program was used in the study. Data were collected from 2009 to 2012 in five Polish tertiary academic neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The length of stay (LOS) of 2,003 very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates was calculated as the sum of the number of days since birth until death or until reaching a weight of 1,800 g.ResultsThe median LOS for neonates with infections was twice as high as for neonates without infection. LOS was significantly affected by the overall general condition of the neonate, as expressed by both gestational age and birth weight as well as by the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) score; another independent factor was presence of at least one infection. Risk of in-hospital mortality was significantly increased by male sex and vaginal birth and was lower among breastfed neonates. Deaths were significantly more frequent in neonates without infection.ConclusionsThe general condition of VLBW infants statistically increase both their risk of mortality and LOS; this is in contrast to the presence of infection, which significantly prolonged LOS only.