Premature infants with gestational age less than 25 weeks require increased ophthalmology resources for retinopathy of prematurity.

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2022

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how increasing survival of low gestational age (GA) infants affects ophthalmologic screening and treatment rates for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This study compared the examination and treatment rates of infants born at GA ofweeks.

METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who met institutional ROP screening criteria and were admitted to two neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from January 2017 to June 2020. Variables analyzed were GA, birth weight, number of ophthalmology examinations, worst stage of ROP, presence of type 1 ROP, and comorbidities associated with ROP. The χ

RESULTS: Compared to the GA≥25 group, the GA(10 vs 4.3 [P < 0.001]), higher average worst stage of ROP (1.4 vs 0.3 [P < 0.001]) and higher rate of type 1 ROP (21% vs 1.4% [P < 0.001]), as well as higher mortality (37% vs 8.11% [P < 0. 001]). Multivariable logistic regression analysis controlling for GA, sepsis, and number of transfusions revealed that only GA was significantly associated with developing type 1 ROP.

CONCLUSIONS: Infants with GA≥25. It is important for ROP services to plan for this increased screening load, especially if the number of such lower-weight infants in their NICUs increases.

Volume

26

Issue

6

First Page

1

Last Page

307

ISSN

1528-3933

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

36404441

Department(s)

Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine Residents, Fellows and Residents

Document Type

Article

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