When should pre-term babies be sent home from neonatal units?

Abstract

20 randomly selected infants of 33 weeks gestation and under at birth were allowed to go home from the neonatal unit provided they were clinically well and had passed the nadir of their postnatal weight-loss and provided home conditions were satisfactory. Weight-gain at home was satisfactory and there was no increased rate of hospital readmission compared with 20 randomly selected pre-term infants who were discharged at a more traditional weight of 2200 g. There is therefore little justification for the widespread practice in Britain of delaying discharge of preterm infants until they reach a predetermined weight (usually 2000--2500 g).