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Recommendations for Primary Care Providers
Pediatric primary care providers and neonatal and
pediatric nurses should know the risks associated with latepreterm
birth (see Table 1). During the birth hospitalization,
the late-preterm infant should have frequent assessments
for respiratory compromise, hyperbilirubinemia,
poor feeding, temperature instability, and infection. This
close monitoring should not automatically require admission
to the NICU unless the infant is experiencing symptoms;
however, standard well-baby nursery care may not be
appropriate (Pulver et al., 2010). Some hospitals have proposed
late-preterm initiatives that include education of all
medical team members in the well-baby nursery and parents
on the morbidities of late-preterm infants, as well as
having special markings or tags on the late-preterm infant’s
cribs as a reminder of the need for these extended assessments
(Corso & DeButy, 2011; Stoltz, Straughn, & Kupsick
2011). These initiatives could help prevent late-preterm
infant morbidities through early recognition of symptoms.
Many short-term morbidities, such as respiratory distress,
temperature instability, hyperbilirubinemia, and feeding
difficulties, can be managed and resolved prior to discharge
from the hospital. Although the AAP recommends
late-preterm infants not be discharged early from the hospital,
research has shown this still occurs (Goyal et al.,
2011). If the infant is discharged early before these morbidities
present or are corrected, these issues will be seen in theprimary care setting, most likely during the first two weeks
of life.
Current AAP guidelines for healthy term infants recommend
infants should be evaluated three to five days
after birth or 48 to 72 hours after discharge from the hospital,
and infants who are discharged from the hospital less
than 48 hours after delivery should be evaluated within 48
hours (AAP & the Committee on Fetus and Newborn, 2010;
Hagan, Shaw, & Duncan, 2008). The late-preterm infant
should be seen within 24 to 48 hours of discharge to evaluate
bilirubin levels, feeding practices, weight gain, temperature
stability, respiratory effort, and signs of possible infection,
allowing the health care provider to intervene early if
necessary.
Feeding practices need to be evaluated because poor
feeding can lead to hyperbilirubinemia, as well as hypoglycemia
and dehydration. Poor feeding can be difficult to
detect in late-preterm infants because feeding fatigue may
be mistaken for feeding satisfaction. Late-preterm infants
may not be able to handle a flexible feeding schedule
because they may not “make-up” the intake volume after
sleeping for three to five hours and fall behind in the
required daily intake for growth (Ludwig, 2007). The latepreterm
infant will need to be on a set two to three-hour
feeding schedule, or may require nasogastric feedings if the
infant becomes fatigued and is unable to take in adequate
feedings for growth. Frequent weight checks are important
if the primary care provider is concerned about inadequate
intake.
After the initial visit, the next routine visit for the
healthy term infant is usually at two weeks of life, and then
again at two months (Hagan et al., 2008). Research has
shown that morbidities in late-preterm infants are most
likely to occur within the first 28 days of life, so latepreterm
infants may benefit from having an additional visit
at one week and four weeks of life to be evaluated for the
potential morbidities (Tomashek et al., 2006).
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