National Women's Annual Clinical Report 2010

9.3 Admissions to NICU
Total admissions to ACH NICU peaked in the mid 1990s prior to a fall that coincided with the
opening of the two local Level 2 neonatal units. The North Shore Hospital Neonatal Unit
opened in October 2003 and Waitakere Hospital in July 2004. These two Waitemata units
admit babies >1500g and >31 weeks gestation and will administer CPAP.
Auckland City Hospital continues to be the level 3 referral unit for the two Waitemata
hospitals and for Northland Base Hospital. ACH NICU also provides regional neonatal
intensive care services for infants undergoing surgical procedures in the newborn period and
care for babies with antenatally diagnosed congenital cardiac disease likely to require
intervention soon after birth.
Number
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
Figure 81: Admissions to NICU 1981-2010
1995
1997
1999
Table 76: NICU admissions by year
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Number 1690 1420 1300 1352 1412 1312 1331 1220 975 906 890 972 939 957 902
9.3.1 Admissions to NICU by gestation and birth weight
The rate of admission for babies below 32 weeks gestation or below 1500g birth weight has
been fairly constant, at around 200 per year, over the last decade. Although there was a
significant decrease in admissions of babies ≥32 weeks gestation from 2004 it is noteworthy
that 2009 saw a rise in term infant admissions that has only slightly decreased in 2010.
These babies are likely to have a mixture of problems but the two most common (see
Appendix 228) are respiratory distress and congenital abnormality, which includes cardiac
anomalies.
128
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009