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Rooming-in for preterm infants: how far should we go? Five-year experience at a tertiary hospital
Francisco De Carvalho Guerra Abecasis1, António Gomes
1Department of Paediatrics, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal. francisco@abecasis.org
Aim:
To determine the rate of rooming-in among preterm infants born in a tertiary hospital.
Methods:
We reviewed the records of all preterm infants born at our hospital during a 5-y period, 2000 to 2004.
Results:
Of the 18 953 neonates born at our institution during this time, 1356 (7.2%) were <37 wk gestational age. Considering only preterm infants with birthweight > or =1500 g, 806 (74.1%) stayed with their mothers and 282 (25.9%) were admitted to the NICU. Of all the preterm infants that initially stayed with their mothers, 42 (5.2%) needed to be transferred to the NICU. When we stratified these preterm infants according to birthweight, we found that 29% of those <1750 g were transferred to the NICU, compared to only 5% of those > or =1750 g.
Conclusion:
Our study supports the idea that the majority of preterm infants, especially those with birthweight > or =1750 g, can safely remain near their mothers at all times during hospital stay, with both clinical and financial benefits. Neonates with birthweight <1750 g should be evaluated carefully to decide whether rooming-in is the best option. Rooming-in should be encouraged in preterm infants.
