Analyzing The Factors Influencing Length Of Stay(LOS)in Neonates & Infants With Group B Streptococcus(GBS) Infection

Aim: To find the factors which determine Length of stay(LOS)in neonates and infants who have been diagnosed with Group B Streptococcus(GBS)infection.Methods: Clinical data of Group B streptococcal(GBS)infections in newborns and infants(? 3 months old)admitted to The Children's Hospital,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,Department of Neonatology from May 2015 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.Factors of these patients including type of presentation: septicemia or meningitis,gender,prematurity,type of onset(Early or Late Onset),fever,jaundice,poor feeding and crying(PFC),respiratory distress,seizure,Low white blood cell count(LWBCC),High white blood cell count(HWBCC),C-Reactive Protein Normalization time(CRPNT)and average fever time(AFT)were analyzed.Multiple Linear Regression method was used to analyse which factors influence LOS in these patients.Results: A total of 48 patients were studied,among which,27 were males(56.3%)and 21 were females(43.8%).There were 35 neonates ageing from 0 to 28 days and 13 infants ageing from 29 to 90 days.Premature infants were 12 in number(25%)and full-term infants,36(75%).The age of onset was<7 days in 12 cases(25%)and>7 days in 36 cases(75%),22 of the patients had septicemia(45.8%)and 26 had meningitis(54.2%).The average CRP normalization time was 2.23±0.416 and 10.04±2.152 days,average fever time was 2.23±0.416 and 10.04±2.152 days,average LOS was 12.45 ±5.28 and 36.27 ±17.68 days in the septicemia and meningitis group respectively.Meningitis patients compared septicemia had a longer LOS(T=3.421,p<0.05).Similarly,it was found that early onset(EO)GBS infection patients stayed longer than late onset(LO)GBS infection(T=2.898,p<0.05)and higher AFT was also associated with longer LOS time(T=2.365,p<0.05).Gender,prematurity,fever,jaundice,poor feeding and crying(PFC),respiratory distress,seizure,Low white blood cell count(LWBCC),High white blood cell count(HWBCC),C-Reactive Protein(CRP)Normalization time(CRPNT)and average fever time(AFT)were not found to have a relationship with length of stay.Conclusion: This study has shown that in group B streptococcus patients,meningitis,early onset infection and Average Fever Time determine length of stay.