const regex = /(^[^\\]*)\\t([^\\]*)\\t([^\\]*)\\t([^\\]*)\\t([^\\]*)(.*)/gm;
// Alternative syntax using RegExp constructor
// const regex = new RegExp('(^[^\\\\]*)\\\\t([^\\\\]*)\\\\t([^\\\\]*)\\\\t([^\\\\]*)\\\\t([^\\\\]*)(.*)', 'gm')
const str = `19-22\\t\\t4\\tP,G\\tDOB_TT\\t\\tTime of Birth\\t\\t126\\t \\t0000-2359 Time of Birth
24-25\\t\\t2\\tT,G\\tOSTATE\\t\\tOccurrence Postal State
85-86\\t\\t2\\tG\\tMRCNTRY\\tMother’s Residence Country\\t\\tAA-ZZ\\tSee Geographic Documentation
87-88\\t\\t2\\tG\\tXMRSTATE\\tExpanded State of Residence of Mother\\t\\t
108-109\\t\\t2\\tP,G\\tMRACE_R15\\tMother’s Race Recode 15\\t\\t\\t
151-152\\t\\t2\\tP,G\\tFRACE_R31\\tFather’s Race Recode 31\\t\\t\\t01\\tWhite (only) [only one race reported]`;
const subst = `\5`;
// The substituted value will be contained in the result variable
const result = str.replace(regex, subst);
console.log('Substitution result: ', result);
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for JavaScript, please visit: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Regular_Expressions