Data were extracted from the CPQCC database, which at the time of the study period included data collected across 132 NICUs that accounted for the care of more than 95% of VLBW infants born in California. Data from California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information were linked to CPQCC records to obtain detailed maternal information, including race, ethnicity, maternal education, and payer type.
We included 37,122 infants who were born with a birth weight of 500–1500 g or with gestational age of 23–34 weeks from 2008 to 2016 and discharged alive before 50 weeks corrected gestational age. The limit of 50 weeks corrected gestational age was chosen to exclude those patients with special circumstances leading to longer hospitalization; the Fenton growth charts are available up to 50 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). A subset of 20,019 infants born with a birth weight below 1000 g or gestational age of 23–28 weeks were selected for subgroup analysis. Infants with severe congenital anomalies were excluded, as were patients with missing data for birth weight, discharge weight, or sex. In addition, we excluded patients with a weight Z-score at birth or discharge more than five standard deviations above or below the expected mean as an error. The Institutional Review Board at Stanford University approved the study.
We included 37,122 infants who were born with a birth weight of 500–1500 g or with gestational age of 23–34 weeks from 2008 to 2016 and discharged alive before 50 weeks corrected gestational age. The limit of 50 weeks corrected gestational age was chosen to exclude those patients with special circumstances leading to longer hospitalization; the Fenton growth charts are available up to 50 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). A subset of 20,019 infants born with a birth weight below 1000 g or gestational age of 23–28 weeks were selected for subgroup analysis. Infants with severe congenital anomalies were excluded, as were patients with missing data for birth weight, discharge weight, or sex. In addition, we excluded patients with a weight Z-score at birth or discharge more than five standard deviations above or below the expected mean as an error. The Institutional Review Board at Stanford University approved the study.
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