Impact of a maternal transport program on a newborn service

We reviewed the maternal transfers for one year (1980) to the Emory Perinatal Center, a tertiary care center for North Georgia. Of 445 telephone consultations or patient referrals, 150 women gave birth at the tertiary center. Indications for maternal transfer were predominantly based on the needs or anticipated needs of the fetus. There were a total of 163 births, 10 of them stillborn and 153 live-born. Three infants expired in the delivery room. Sixty infants (40%) required 580 days of intensive care. A total of 1,439 days of care in the intermediate unit was required and 1,077 days of care in other areas of the nursery. Adjusting these figures for a 0.8 occupancy rate revealed that two intensive care beds, 4.9 intermediate care beds, and 3.6 minimal care beds were required for just these maternally transported infants. Maternal transfers will result in a disproportionate increase in the workload of a nursery because of the immaturity and small size of these infants. When considering a maternal transfer service, appropriate planning must be made to meet the special needs of both the infants and their mothers.