Uncovering the Hidden Burden: Neonatal Readmissions at Children Welfare Teaching Hospital

Background: The neonatal period is important for establishing a strong healthy foundation and is also associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. This study aimed to determine the rate of neonatal hospital readmission and to identify the associations between the neonatal age at readmission and the length of stay (LOS) during readmission, the outcome of readmission, and the associated maternal and neonatal factors.

Aim: to evaluate Neonatal Hospital Readmissions Rate and Associated Causes.

Methods: A prospective study was performed by reviewing the medical cases information by relatives of 120 neonates who were born in and readmitted to Children Welfare Teaching Hospital (CWTH) in Baghdad

Results: The mean age at admission was 16.03 days, with a wide range from 2 to 90 days, indicating variability in the timing of hospital admissions. The mean gestational age was 37 weeks, with a standard deviation of 2.35, suggesting that the majority of neonates were born at or near term. Birth weight exhibited considerable variation, with a mean of 2706.92 grams and a minimum of 300 grams, reflecting the inclusion of both full-term and preterm neonates. Maternal age ranged from 17 to 41 years, with a mean of 26 years, indicating a relatively young maternal population.Among the neonates, 57.5% were male, while 42.5% were female, indicating a slight predominance of male admission. Regarding the mode of delivery, cesarean section (C/S) was the most common method, accounting for 60% of cases, whereas 40% of deliveries were normal vaginal deliveries (NVD). The majority of neonates (95%) were from singleton pregnancies, with only 5% resulting from twin gestations. In terms of feeding practices, bottle feeding was the most prevalent (60%), followed by mixed feeding (33.3%), while exclusive breastfeeding was reported in only 6.7% of cases. Most common cause of readmission was sepsis 31.7%.

Conclusion: Sepsis (31.7%) and jaundice (23.3%) emerged as the primary reasons for neonatal hospital readmissions, closely followed by congenital anomalies (16.7%). These conditions predominantly impacted younger neonates, with sepsis consistently leading across all age groups. A notable neonatal mortality rate of 17.5% underscores the severity of these conditions. However, a majority (74.2%) achieved successful discharge, reflecting effective management and recovery outcomes, though a subset required further specialized care referrals. Significant statistical associations between age groups and causes of readmission emphasize the necessity for tailored, age-specific interventions. Furthermore, the chi-square tests demonstrated statistically significant associations between age and causes of readmission, highlighting the need for age-specific interventions.