Stability of the infant car seat challenge and risk factors for oxygen desaturation events.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the stability of the one-point Infant Car Seat Challenge and risk factors that may be associated with oxygen desaturation events.


METHODS
This descriptive, nonexperimental, observational study examined the responses of 49 premature infants during two 90-minute Infant Car Seat Challenges at a tertiary health care institution.


METHODS
Three Infant Car Seat Challenge outcomes were explored: (a) pass/fail rates following two Infant Car Seat Challenge observation periods, (b) oxygen saturation and desaturation patterns during two Infant Car Seat Challenges, and (c) the association between oxygen desaturation events and infants' chronological, gestational, and corrected gestational ages.


RESULTS
The findings indicated that 86% of premature infants had stable results, 8% passed Infant Car Seat Challenge 1 but not Infant Car Seat Challenge 2, and 6% failed Infant Car Seat Challenge 1 and passed Infant Car Seat Challenge 2. In addition, the odds for oxygen desaturation events increased for infants born at less than or equal to 34 weeks gestation and hospitalized longer than 7 days.


CONCLUSIONS
The Infant Car Seat Challenge success rate for identifying infants at risk for oxygen desaturation events was equal to or better than that of other screening tests for newborn medical conditions. The findings of this study will assist neonatal health care providers in making appropriate recommendations for infants' safe travel at discharge.
DeGrazia
Michele
M
Newborn Medicine Nursing, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02347, USA. mdegr@comcast.net
D001049:Apnea / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D015897:Comorbidity; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015370:Infant Equipment / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000592:standards; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016683:Supine Position