Newborns with trisomy 21 (T21) often require NICU hospitalization. Oxygen desaturations are frequently observed in these infants, even in the absence of congenital heart defects (CHD).

We hypothesized that NICU patients with T21 have more hypoxemia than those without T21.

All infants with T21 without significant CHD discharged home from the NICU between 2009 and 2018 were included (n = 23). Controls were matched 20:1 for gestational age and length of stay.

We compared daily severe hypoxemia events (SpO2 < 80% for ≥10 s) for the whole NICU stay and the pre-discharge week.