Readmission with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among graduates from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

We evaluated the incidence of readmission with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among the graduates of a regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and characterized those who were rehospitalized. These data were used as a predictive tool to estimate the number of babies likely to suffer readmission with RSV for the year 2000 cohort. Using the published efficacies of palivizumab, the costs and benefits of protecting this cohort were assessed. Retrospective analysis of 2,507 NICU inpatient records from January 1, 1994–December 31, 1999 from the Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, were compared with data on positive RSV samples from 1,790 patients between January 1, 1995–December 31, 1999 from the Northern Ireland Regional Virus Laboratory.