Expected duration of hospital stay of low birth weight infants: graphic depiction in relation to birth weight and gestational age.

Neonatal duration of hospital stay correlated with both birth weight and gestational age in positively skewed, nonlinear relationships. Within increments of birth weight, gestational age had a semi-independent influence on length of stay. Log length of stay correlated with both birth weight and gestational age in linear, normally distributed relationships. A nomogram is provided for predicting individual lengths of stay.