Objective: To analyze the impact of ≥1 major congenital anomaly (CA) on risk and hospitalization for common neonatal morbidities.
Study design: Retrospective infant cohort: 241,033 preterm and 3,446,156 term singletons in the US Premier Healthcare database (2006-2013) with up to 1-year follow-up. Discharge records were searched for ≥1 CA and neonatal morbidities.
Results: Five morbidities demonstrated strong increasing rates as GA decreased. RRs in preterm infants with CAs relative to those without CAs were: RDS (2.17, 95% CI 2.14-2.21), sepsis (2.42, 95% CI 2.37-2.46), apnea (2.04, 95% CI 2.01-2.07), infectious diseases (2.37, 95% CI 2.34-2.41), and hyperbilirubinemia (1.25, 95% CI 1.24-1.26). Median length of NICU stay (days) was consistently longer in infants with ≥1 CA relative to infants without CA during each GA period.
Conclusions: Preterm infants with ≥1 major CA have increased risk of hospitalization for common morbidities, implying compromised neonatal health regardless of CA type.