Abstract
Objective This study aims to determine predischarge palivizumab receipt prevalence among infants ≤ 36
weeks' gestational age.
Study Design This retrospective cohort study used hospital discharge records from the Premier
Perspective database (Premier Inc., Charlotte, NC) of infants ≤ 36 weeks' gestational
age who were discharged home after birth hospitalization during the November–March
respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons from 2006 to 2011. Descriptive statistics
were performed and logistic regression was employed to identify differences in categorical
variables.
Results Among infants ≤ 36 weeks' gestational age discharged home during the RSV seasons,
21.4 to 27.0% had a record of palivizumab receipt before discharge. Among infants ≤ 30
weeks' gestational age, palivizumab receipt was 82.3 to 88.8%. Receipt varied considerably
at the hospital level, from 0 to 100%.
Conclusion This study improves our understanding of characteristics associated with predischarge
palivizumab administration. The identified gaps in recommended care can help inform
future implementation of palivizumab and other interventions to help improve the health
of high-risk preterm infants in the United States.
Keywords
palivizumab - preterm infants - respiratory syncytial virus - vitamin K - hepatitis
B vaccine