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.
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: M Bull; P Agran; D Laraque; S H Pollack; G A Smith; H R Spivak; M Tenenbein; S B Tully; R A Brenner; S Bryn; C Neverman; R A Schieber; R Stanwick; D Tinsworth; W P Tully; V Garcia; M L Katcher Journal: Pediatrics Date: 1999-10 Impact factor: 7.124