Prehospital discharge car safety seat testing of infants after congenital heart surgery.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

This study aimed to expand the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) car safety seat testing recommendation to include high-risk infants after cardiac surgery.

METHODS:

Car safety seat testing (< or =4 days before discharge), performed according to AAP guidelines, was retrospectively reviewed for 66 postoperative infants. Failure was defined as apnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation.

RESULTS:

The average birth weight of the study infants was 3.1 +/- 0.5 kg. Two patients were born at less than 37 weeks gestation. Surgical procedures included modified Blalock-Taussig shunt technique (n = 15), arterial switch operation (n = 12), Norwood Sano modification (n = 11), coarctation repair (n = 8), repair of tetralogy of Fallot (n = 6), repair of truncus arteriosus (n = 4), repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous return (n = 3), pacemaker placement (n = 2), repair of interrupted aortic arch and ventriculoseptal defect (VSD) (n = 1), repair of coarctation and VSD (n = 1), orthotopic heart transplant (n = 1), repair of VSD (n = 1), and patent ductus arteriosus ligation (n = 1). The average age at discharge was 28 +/- 21 days. Four patients (6%) failed car safety seat testing because of a fall in oxygen saturation. One of the four patients passed on retesting after parental education, whereas three of the four (75%) were discharged home in a supine car safety seat. There was no relationship between the type of surgery and car safety seat test failure.

CONCLUSION:

It may be beneficial to extend the AAP recommendations for car safety seat testing to include high-risk infants after cardiac surgery.

• Authors: J M Simsic, K Masterson, B E Kogon, P M Kirshbom, K Kanter
• Journal: Pediatric cardiology (Pediatr Cardiol) Vol. 29 Issue 1 Pg. 142-5 (Jan 2008) ISSN: 0172-0643 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17786375 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Oxygen

Topics

• Apnea (etiology)
• Bradycardia (etiology)
• Gastrostomy
• Gestational Age
• Guidelines as Topic
• Heart Defects, Congenital (surgery)
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant Equipment (adverse effects, standards)
• Infant, Newborn
• Infant, Premature
• Intubation, Gastrointestinal
• Materials Testing
• Oxygen (blood)
• Patient Discharge
• Safety
• Supine Position (physiology)