| Abstract | Objective: To develop models for estimating the length of hospital stay (LOS) of very low birth weigth infants (VLBW) based on perinatal risk factors present during the first week of life and during the entire hospitalization period. Study Design: The files of 155 VLBW were analyzed, and the influence of individual risk factors were initially evaluated using multivariate analysis, using multiple regression. Two mathematical models were built to estimate the LOS. Results: Two models are available, one for the risk factors present during the first 3 days of life (R^2 = 0.63), the other using factors present during the entire hospitalization period (R^2 = 0.82). Factors used in the models include birth weight, presence of RDS, intubation during resuscitation, 1-minute Apgar score, gestational age, complications during delivery, age when receiving nutritional support of 120 kcal/kg/day or more, occurrence of systemic candidiasis, birth weight less than 1000g rams, occurence of BPD, and occurrence of anemia. Conclusion: Both models are applicable for estimating the hospitalization period, and the addition of variables present during the entire hospitalization period improved the accuracy of the model. |