1367 Outcomes of admission of late preterm babies in transitional care. (17th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cunto, Angela De; Meek, Judith; Spencer, Molly; Coutinho, Abigail
• Is Part Of: Archives of disease in childhood. Volume 107(2022)Supplement 2
• Page Start: A195
• Page End: A196
• Publication Date: 2022-08-17
• Subjects: Children -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Infants -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 618.920005
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2022-rcpch.313
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-9888

Abstract

Abstract : Aims: BAPM guidance 2017 endorses admission in Transitional Care (TC) of late preterm 34-35 weeks who do not fulfill criteria for intensive or high dependency care, given its potential benefits as facilitation of baby-led feeding, greater parental confidence with reduced rates of re-admission, and reduced length of neonatal stay. 1 A guideline for admission in TC of babies born at 35 weeks gestational age (GA) was developed in a large tertiary neonatal unit. The aim of this project was to assess the effectiveness in reducing length of stay for babies admitted and managed in TC in comparison to babies admitted in and discharged from neonatal unit (NNU). Methods: Data were collected through the electronic database Epic (2022 ã Epic Systems Corporation) for all inborn babies born at 35 +0 -35 +6 weeks GA between 01/01/2021 and 31/12/2021 and admitted in any neonatal area. Data were reported as mean (range) or as mean (percentage). Results: Eighty-two babies born at 35 weeks GA were identified, of whom 22 were primarily admitted in TC and 60 in NNU. Thirty-one babies were excluded from the final analysis as they were transferred to other hospitals. Thirteen babies were initially admitted in NNU and transferred in TC at 3 (1-7) days. Three babies were initially admitted in TC then transferred to NNU. A total of 32 babies were discharged from TC, 19 babies were discharged from NNU. Patients' characteristics are described in table 1 . Length of stay was of 7 (3-12) days for babies discharged from TC and 17.8 (6-42) days for babies discharged from NNU. Nasogastric tube was used for 2.6 (0-10) in babies discharged from TC and 12.4 (2-30) in babies discharged from NNU. Twenty-two over 32 (69%) babies discharged from TC and 12/19 (63%) were breastfeeding at discharge. There were no re admission after discharge due to feeding problems in both groups. Conclusion: Late preterm babies born at 35 weeks GA discharged from TC had a shorter length of stay in hospital and established independent feeding more quickly. Despite the small sample size, this data confirms the benefits of admitting late preterm babies in TC and strengthens the recommendation to manage them in this setting when possible. Reference: BAMP Neonatal Transitional Care – A Framework for Practice (2017).