Short- and Long-Term Athletic Outcome of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Survivors

The short-term survival rate for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the period 1990–1995 was 80.8%. The attrition rate of NICU survivors prior to registration was higher than for the control population. The number of registered NICU survivors with more than one race start was less than the control population. Fifty-nine percent of thoroughbred and 44% of the standardbred foals that were discharged from the NICU had more than one race start. There was no significant difference in the earnings, number of starts, earnings/start, and places/start over the first 2-year period of racing between the NICU survivors with more than one race start and their controls. Authors’ address: Dept. of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA 19348. r 1999 AAEP.