Title
Center, Gestational Age, and Race Impact End-of-Life Care Practices at Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Subject
article; Black person; cause of death; central nervous system; child; cohort analysis; controlled study; do not resuscitate order; drug withdrawal; female; gestational age; human; infant; injury; life sustaining treatment; major clinical study; male; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; newborn; newborn death; retrospective study; terminal care
Description
Objective: To assess the impact of intercenter variation and patient factors on end-of-life care practices for infants who die in regional neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Study design: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using the Children's Hospital Neonatal Database during 2010-2016. A total of 6299 nonsurviving infants cared for in 32 participating regional NICUs were included to examine intercenter variation and the effects of gestational age, race, and cause of death on 3 end-of-life care practices: do not attempt resuscitation orders (DNR), cardiopulmonary resuscitation within 6 hours of death (CPR), and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies (WLST). Factors associated with these practices were used to develop a multivariable equation.