Table 1

Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with BRUE stratified by the presence of a serious underlying diagnosis

Total
n (%)
No serious underlying diagnosisSerious underlying diagnosisP value
Patient characteristics
Number of patients104296379
Age, days [IQR]41 [13, 84]43 [14, 86]31 [8, 63]0.03
Sex0.91
 Female529 (50.8)488 (50.7)41 (51.9)
 Male513 (49.2)475 (49.3)38 (48.1)
Patient risk factors
Gestational age0.11
 Term (≥37 weeks)/not indicated890 (85.4)828 (86.0)62 (78.5)
 Late preterm (34–36+ weeks)102 (9.8)89 (9.2)13 (16.5)
 Moderate preterm (32–33+ weeks)26 (2.5)25 (2.6)1 (1.3)
 Very preterm (28–31+ weeks)24 (2.3)21 (2.2)3 (3.8)
Prematurity (<32 weeks) or corrected <45 weeks*180 (17.3)159 (16.5)21 (26.6)0.03
Age ≤60 days658 (63.1)600 (62.3)58 (73.4)0.05
Family history concerning for serious condition133 (12.8)111 (11.5)22 (27.8)<0.001
Social history concerning for abuse48 (4.6)43 (4.5)5 (6.3)0.40
Abnormal medical history320 (30.7)288 (29.9)32 (40.5)0.06
 Conditions related to prematurity128 (12.3)113 (11.7)15 (19.0)0.07
 Neonatal respiratory disorders99 (9.5)87 (9.0)12 (15.2)0.11
 Gastro-oesophageal reflux or feeding-related conditions78 (7.5)69 (7.2)9 (11.4)0.18
 Jaundice77 (7.4)68 (7.1)9 (11.4)0.18
 Other medical conditions97 (9.3)89 (9.2)8 (10.1)0.84
BRUE characteristics
Abnormal breathing686 (65.8)626 (65.0)60 (75.9)0.05
Tone change607 (58.3)558 (57.9)49 (62.0)0.55
Colour change514 (49.3)472 (49.0)42 (53.2)0.49
Altered responsiveness377 (36.2)346 (35.9)31 (39.2)0.55
Event duration ≥1 min354 (34.0)325 (33.7)29 (36.7)0.62
History of similar event343 (32.9)296 (30.7)47 (59.5)<0.001
History of multiple events or event clusters325 (31.2)285 (29.6)40 (50.6)<0.001
CPR performed and indicated44 (4.2)40 (4.2)4 (5.1)0.57
Higher risk BRUE as defined by the AAP guidelines977 (93.8)898 (93.3)79 (100.0)0.01
  • *Defined as per the AAP higher risk BRUE criteria.

  • †Patients may present with BRUE episodes including multiple characteristics.

  • AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; BRUE, brief resolved unexplained event; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.