title: Outcomes of very-low-birthweight infants after discharge with a discharge weight of 1500 grams.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Discharge of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) neonates from hospital is an important issue and has a standard criterion worldwide. According to this criterion, VLBW infants will be discharged from hospital when weighing 1800-2100 g but in the newborn services at Amirkola Children's Hospital (ACH), VLBW neonates are discharged when reaching 1500 g. The aim of this study was to determine the safety of this policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this analytic-prospective study, 100 premature neonates with discharging weight (DW) of 1500 g and a control group of 150 neonates with DW of 1600-2500 g were included. Both groups showed similar socioeconomic, perinatal and postnatal conditions. They were admitted and treated in the newborn services at ACH. The outcome variables, including death after discharge, readmission and need for emergency visit for an acute problem up to 3 months after discharge, were studied. The information was analyzed by SPSS-16 software and a P-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Need for emergency visit after discharge reached a significant difference between the two groups (31 in the case group vs 21 in the control group, P= 0.000), but there were no significant differences in the readmission rate and death after discharge (two deaths and 15 readmissions in the case group vs two deaths and 21 readmissions in the control group, P= 0.855)
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to decrease the need for emergency visits, we suggest a program of early hospital discharge with home nursing visits and neonatologist support.
authors: Non-Communicable Pediatric Diseases Research Center, Babol University of Medicine Sciences, Babol, IR Iran. mousa_ahmadpour@hotmail.com
authors: Mousa
authors: M
authors: Ahmadpour-Kacho
authors: Yadollah Zahed
authors: YZ
authors: Pasha
authors: Behdis Motevalli
authors: BM
authors: Aliabadi
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies