Sending infants home on low-flow oxygen.

A program for sending infants on low-flow oxygen home or to less-specialized hospitals is described. Problems identified in the development of the program are outlined. In establishing the program, its benefits for increasing infant-parent bonding, decreasing hospital costs, and eliminating the risk of nosocomial infection were considered. A comprehensive teaching package was established to ensure that parents were adequately instructed and confident before discharge. Some families had older children, multiple births, or other complicating factors, but most were able to adapt to their infant's needs. Of the 51 infants discharged between April 1979 and June 1982, two had to be readmitted until weaned from oxygen and three died of other causes.