Comparison of short term outcome in very low birthweight boys and girls
| Boys (n=3356) | Girls (n=3382) |
OR (boys/girls) (95% CI) | |
| Pulmonary | |||
| RDS (% of population) | 65 (52–73) | 56 (40–68) | 1.41 (1.28 to 1.56) |
| Oxygen administration | 90 (82–97) | 87 (77–95) | 1.32 (1.14 to 1.54) |
| Ventilator support | 78 (71–85) | 72 (61–89) | 1.34 (1.20 to 1.50) |
| Umbilical artery catheter | 62 (53–76) | 58 (42–75) | 1.22 (1.10 to 1.35) |
| Surfactants (% of RDS) | 72 (45–86) | 66 (44–86) | 1.33 (1.10 to 1.60) |
| Pneumothorax | 7 (5–11) | 5 (3–9) | 1.33 (1.09 to 1.62) |
| Among 28 day survivors (n=5660) | |||
| O2 at 28 days (% of 28 day survival) | 41 (23–59) | 32 (21–49) | 1.45 (1.30 to 1.62) |
| Ventilator support for 28 days | 22 (10–32) | 18 (11–28) | 1.26 (1.11 to 1.44) |
| Among O2 at 28 days | |||
| Steroids (%)3-150 | 42 (25–64) | 37 (16–56) | 1.21 (1.01 to 1.46) |
| CLD (%) | 21 (6–51) | 16 (3–48) | 1.39 (1.18 to 1.64) |
| Central nervous system | |||
| Seizures | 5 (1–10) | 4 (0–8) | 1.30 (1.03 to 1.65) |
| Intraventricular haemorrhage3-151 | |||
| None | 63 | 68 | 0.80 |
| Grade I | 17 (7–32) | 16 (7–38) | |
| Grade II | 7 (3–13) | 5 (1–10) | |
| Grade III | 7 (2–10) | 6 (3–8) | |
| Grade IV | 6 (3–9) | 5 (2–11) | |
| PVL3-152 | 7 (3–24) | 7 (4–22) | 0.96 (0.76 to 1.22) |
| Gastrointestinal tract/nutrition | |||
| NEC ⩾ stage II | 6 (2–8) | 5 (3–8) | 1.19 (0.96 to 1.48) |
| Parenteral nutrition | 86 (66–100) | 84 (61–100) | 1.20 (1.04 to 1.39) |
| Central venous catheter | 26 (14–57) | 24 (8–52) | 1.07 (0.96 to 1.20) |
| Bacterial infection | |||
| Septicaemia3-153 | 22 (9–31) | 21 (9–28) | 1.07 (0.96 to 1.21) |
| Meningitis3-154 | 2 (0–9) | 3 (1–6) | 0.91 (0.67 to 1.24) |
| Urinary tract infection3-160 | 5 (2–9) | 3 (0–6) | 1.78 (1.38 to 2.29) |
| Cardiovascular | |||
| Symptomatic PDA | 30 (19–5) | 27 (16–50) | 1.18 (1.06 to 1.31) |
| Mortality | |||
| Died by day 3 | 13 (10–20) | 9 (3–16) | |
| Died by day 7 | 15 (11–22) | 10 (5–17) | |
| Died by day 14 | 17 (13–24) | 12 (7–17) | |
| Died by day 28 | 19 (15–30) | 13 (9–19) | |
| Died before discharge | 22 (16–32) | 15 (11–22) | 1.53 (1.35 to 1.73) |
| Length of stay (median days) | |||
| Survivors | 56 (48–70) | 62 (55–72) | |
| Deaths | 2 (2–15) | 2 (1–5) | |
Data are presented as percentages with centre ranges in parentheses.
↵3-150 Postnatal steroids for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
↵3-151 Most severe grade in infants who had an ultrasound (n=5822).
↵3-152 Periventricular leucomalacia; of infants who had an ultrasound after 2 weeks (n=4077).
↵3-153 A positive culture in the presence of compatible clinical signs of septiacaemia.
↵3-154 A positive culture of cerebrospinal fluid or pathogens in brain tissue in the presence of compatible clinical signs of meningitis or encephalitis.
↵3-160 Bacteria present in urine from catheterised or suprapubic specimens only in the presence of compatible clinical signs of cystitis or pyelonephritis.
RDS, Respiratory distress syndrome; CLD, chronic lung disease; NEC, necrotising enterocolitis; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus.