Follow-up care of the low birth weight infant.

Care of the preterm infant after discharge is a challenge for the pediatric follow-up team. All premature infants should be followed through infancy and into preschool and school years because of the common ongoing medical concerns and the high risk of developmental disabilities. Although impossible to predict with great accuracy in the neonatal period, it is appropriate to select those preterm infants who have the highest risk for disabilities and provide to them a closer degree of surveillance.