7-day Brady-watch and discharge criteria

Specialties NICU

Published

Hi ladies,

Preemie mom here with a quandry.

Often times on the preemie parenting forum we'll get a later-term (past 32 weeks) preemie mom who is frustrated by extended time in NIC for Brady-watch.

Here's why I'm confused. It seems that they are more inclined to make sure the later term preemies completely outgrow their B's before sending them home, but will send home earlier preemies with occassional A's&B's and monitors and O2, caffiene, etc.

Can you tell me the difference?

Thanks,

Wen

Preemie mom and NICU nurse fan :kiss

I find it depends on the doc. None of them want to send home any baby on caffeine, let alone a monitor. But sometimes it is inevitable. Be it an ex 25 weeker or 34 weeker. They'll give it a shot for 5 days and if they fail, well it's back on the caffiene and home on it in a couple fo days.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

I know in our unit they are more leery of the older preemies (33wks and greater) that cont to have brady's etc. We expect it of the smaller ones, it just seems to be a given, but with the bigger, older ones it can sometimes mean an underlying problem, such as infection. In our unit, we don't dc the caffeine if they are on it, they just go home on it and are on a monitor. We also sleep study all kids under 35 weeks and if they have a horrid study, they go on caffeine for 5 days then a repeat study is done and get sent home with a monitor. They can also be bradying from reflux. Also, each unit is very different in how they handle kids with bradys as is each attending.

This was very enlightening, thank you.

I can always find information here that I can't find elsewhere on the web. I'm very appreciative of you ladies for taking a moment to help me understand from a truly realistic first-hand POV. Preemie/NIC parent support is so crucial, and to have a crumb to throw to someone desperately hungry for answers is invaluable.

Thank you so much~

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