Exchange Transfusion for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 2006 to 2011

Table 2

Comparison of readmitted and in-hospital babies who underwent exchange transfusion.

Variable	Readmitted babies (total 26)	In-hospital babies (total 38)	value
Male gender ( (%))	17 (65.4)	20 (52.6)	0.45
Birth weight (Kg) (mean (SD))	2.7 (0.6)	2.1 (0.9)	<0.01
Gestational age (weeks) (mean (SD))	37.3 (2.4)	34.7 (4.9)	0.01
Vaginal delivery ( (%))	18 (69.4)	19 (50)	0.19
Signs of kernicterus ( (%))	6 (23.1)	NA
Total bilirubin before ET mol/L (mean (SD))	507.4 (127.8)	394.9 (140.2)	<0.01
Breastfed ( (%))	20 (76.9)	16 (42.1)	0.01
Age at ET (days) (mean (SD))	4.6 (2.3)	3.3 (2.2)	0.03
Second ET ( (%))	2 (7.6)	1 (1.5)	0.77
Intravenous immune globulin	1 (3.6)	0
Positive blood cultures ( (%))	7 (26.9)	5 (13.1)	0.28
Gram negative	2/7 (28.5%)	2/5 (40%)
Gram positive	5/7 (71.4%)	3/5 (60%)	0.57
Cause of hyperbilirubinemia ( (%))
Isoimmune haemolysis	6 (23.1)	3 (7.8)
ABO incompatibility	2 (7.6)	1 (2.6)
Rh incompatibility	4 (15.3)	2 (5.2)
Cephalhaematoma	1 (3.6)	0	0.09
Red cell membranopathy	0	1 (2.6)
Severe intraventricular haemorrhage	0	2 (5,2)
Complications of ET ( (%))
Apnoea requiring mechanical ventilation	1 (3.6)	2 (5.2)
Glucose instability	0	2 (5.2)
Died	0	3 (7.8)	0.18