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Acute life threatening events among infants on home oxygen

Gaynor Harrison1, Michael Beresford, Nigel Shaw

  • 1Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust, Liverpool.

Paediatric Nursing
|March 8, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Infants with chronic lung disease (CLD) discharged on oxygen are vulnerable. Lower pre-discharge oxygen saturation levels in these infants correlate with a higher incidence of acute life-threatening events (ALTEs).

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Care

Background:

  • Chronic lung disease (CLD) in premature infants leads to significant morbidity.
  • Infants with CLD discharged home on supplemental oxygen face increased vulnerability.
  • Acute life-threatening events (ALTEs) pose a risk to these vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of ALTEs in CLD infants during 12-month home follow-up.
  • To evaluate the relationship between pre-discharge oxygenation and ALTEs in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study of infants with CLD discharged on oxygen over one year.
  • Blind recording of pre-discharge oxygen saturation using a data-logger.
  • Systematic recording of oxygen requirements, hospital visits, and ALTEs post-discharge.

Main Results:

  • Sixteen infants with CLD were studied.
  • Eight infants experienced one or more ALTEs within the follow-up year.
  • Significantly lower discharge oxygen saturation profiles were observed in infants who had ALTEs compared to those who did not.

Conclusions:

  • Formal oxygen saturation studies before discharge are crucial for infants on supplemental oxygen.
  • Optimizing oxygen delivery based on saturation studies can potentially reduce ALTEs.
  • This highlights the importance of objective pre-discharge assessment for home oxygen therapy in CLD infants.
Abstract

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