Predictors of prolonged length of hospital stay or readmissions for acute viral lower respiratory tract infections among infants with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Length of hospital stay and readmissions are outcome measures that have been largely overlooked in many studies that have evaluated the clinical evolution of pediatric patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The aim of the present study was to identify predictors of prolonged hospitalizations or readmissions for acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) in infants with BPD. In a prospective cohort study, we determined independent predictors of prolonged hospitalizations or readmissions for ALRIs during the first 2 years of life in a population of infants with BPD living in Bogota, Colombia. Of a total of 138 patients included in the study, 83 (60.1%) had at least one hospitalization for ALRI during the follow-up period. After controlling for potential confounders, we found that independent predictors of prolonged hospitalizations or readmissions for ALRIs included male gender (OR = 3.09; CI 95% 1.27-7.52; P = 0.013), ambulatory oxygen therapy between 90 and 119 days (OR = 3.21; CI 95% 1.00-10.24; P = 0.049), ambulatory oxygen therapy equal to or greater than 120 days (OR = 5.73; CI 95% 2.01-16.32; P = 0.001), gestational age at birth (OR = 1.35; CI 95% 1.03-1.76; P = 0.026), birth weight (OR = 0.997; CI 95% 0.996-0.999; P = 0.010), and duration of breastfeeding equal to or greater than 6 months (OR = 0.39; CI 95% 0.16-0.96; P = 0.039). The factors identified can be taken into account when planning policies to reduce duration of hospital stay and readmissions in infants with BPD.