Abstract
Aims: To evaluate immediate postnatal care of infants with congenital heart disease including postnatal care and transfer to the cardiac unit, and identify areas of weakness in service provision.
Methods: All infants less than 6 weeks of age admitted to the national paediatric cardiology centre were included. Preadmission and admission data were recorded as well as results of subsequent investigations. Preterm infants transferred for closure of patent ductus arteriosus were excluded.
Results: The majority of patients were admitted outside of routine hours. Most infants on prostaglandin were on low dose prostaglandin. In non-intubated infants on prostaglandin 8 had minor apnoea. No infants on prostaglandin required intubation due to apnoea during transfer (Table 1).
Conclusions: The neonatal transport team operates during business hours and therefore service extension is necessary to meet the population's needs. No infants were intubated during transfer on low dose prostaglandin. This supports a local policy of not electively intubating all neonates with cardiac disease who require prostaglandin to maintain ductal patency.
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Smith, S., Ng, L., Getty, A. et al. 624 Neonatal Congenital Heart Defects: Clinical Status From Birth to Arrival at the Irish National Cardiac Centre. Pediatr Res 68 (Suppl 1), 319 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00624
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00624