Lara Pavageau1, Charles R Rosenfeld1, Roy Heyne1, L Steven Brown2, Jenna Whitham3, Cheryl Lair2, Luc P Brion4. 1. Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. 2. Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, TX, USA. 3. Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. 4. Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. luc.brion@utsouthwestern.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The lack of a valid and safe method for measuring length in critically ill preterm neonates has led to a primary focus on weight gain. LOCAL PROBLEM: Paucity of valid length measurements, precluding the accurate analysis of growth patterns. METHODS: Quality improvement project among infants < 29 weeks or small for gestational age < 35 weeks with embedded validation of (1) a caliper (infantometer) for length measurements and (2) length measurements during the first week to estimate birth length. INTERVENTION: Implementation of valid methods to measure length. RESULTS: We validated infantometer measurements and first week length measurements. The percentage of neonates with valid measurements during the first week rose from 10% to 78%, resulting in increased identification of classifiable growth patterns from < 10% to 89%. CONCLUSIONS: By increasing the percentage of neonates with valid length measurements in the first week postnatal, we identified an increased number of neonates with classifiable growth abnormalities.
BACKGROUND: The lack of a valid and safe method for measuring length in critically ill preterm neonates has led to a primary focus on weight gain. LOCAL PROBLEM: Paucity of valid length measurements, precluding the accurate analysis of growth patterns. METHODS: Quality improvement project among infants < 29 weeks or small for gestational age < 35 weeks with embedded validation of (1) a caliper (infantometer) for length measurements and (2) length measurements during the first week to estimate birth length. INTERVENTION: Implementation of valid methods to measure length. RESULTS: We validated infantometer measurements and first week length measurements. The percentage of neonates with valid measurements during the first week rose from 10% to 78%, resulting in increased identification of classifiable growth patterns from < 10% to 89%. CONCLUSIONS: By increasing the percentage of neonates with valid length measurements in the first week postnatal, we identified an increased number of neonates with classifiable growth abnormalities.
Authors: Luc P Brion; Charles R Rosenfeld; Roy Heyne; L Steven Brown; Cheryl S Lair; Elen Petrosyan; Theresa Jacob; Maria Caraig; Patti J Burchfield Journal: J Perinatol Date: 2020-02-18 Impact factor: 2.521
Authors: Luc P Brion; Roy Heyne; L Steven Brown; Cheryl S Lair; Audrey Edwards; Patti J Burchfield; Maria Caraig Journal: J Perinatol Date: 2020-08-12 Impact factor: 2.521
Authors: Jordan D Reis; Kristine Tolentino-Plata; Roy Heyne; L Steven Brown; Charles R Rosenfeld; Maria Caraig; Patti J Burchfield; Luc P Brion Journal: J Perinatol Date: 2021-03-26 Impact factor: 3.225