Discontinuation of Car Seat Tolerance Screening and Postdischarge Adverse Outcomes in Infants Born Preterm.

OBJECTIVE

To study the association between discontinuing predischarge car seat tolerance screening (CSTS) with 30-day postdischarge adverse outcomes in infants born preterm.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study involving all infants born preterm from 2010 through 2021 who survived to discharge to home in a 14-hospital integrated health care system. The exposure was discontinuation of CSTS. The primary outcome was a composite rate of death, 911 call-triggered transports, or readmissions associated with diagnostic codes of respiratory disorders, apnea, apparent life-threatening event, or brief resolved unexplained events within 30 days of discharge. Outcomes of infants born in the periods of CSTS and after discontinuation were compared.

RESULTS

Twelve of 14 hospitals initially utilized CSTS and contributed patients to the CSTS period; 71.4% of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and 26.9% of non-NICU infants were screened. All hospitals participated in the discontinuation period; 0.1% was screened. Rates of the unadjusted primary outcome were 1.02% in infants in the CSTS period (n = 21 122) and 1.06% after discontinuation (n = 20 142) (P = .76). The aOR (95% CI) was 0.95 (0.75, 1.19). Statistically insignificant differences between periods were observed in components of the primary outcome, gestational age strata, NICU admission status groups, and other secondary analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Discontinuation of CSTS in a large integrated health care network was not associated with a change in 30-day postdischarge adverse outcomes. CSTS's value as a standard predischarge assessment deserves further evaluation.