Late pre-term infants, still pre-term

CHICAGO, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say even though late pre-term infants may be similar in size and weight to full-term babies, they are not the same as full-term infants.

Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center say late-preterm infants -- born between 34 and 37 weeks' gestation -- have traditionally been treated the same as full-term babies.

However, the researchers found late-preterm infants sent home less than 48 hours after birth were twice as likely as others to have repeat hospital visits, and those who stayed in the newborn nursery or with their mothers were three times more likely to be readmitted than those who spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

"Late-preterm infants are often treated as though they are developmentally mature when in fact they are physiologically and metabolically immature," Dr. Ramzan Shahid said in a statement. "This makes them more susceptible to developing medical complications, such as respiratory problems, hypothermia, low blood sugar, jaundice and poor feeding."

Shahid and colleagues reviewed medical charts of late-preterm infants born at Loyola University Hospital and concluded late-preterm infants should not be released in less than 48 hours.

"Closely monitoring these babies will help to identify potential complications early on and may prevent subsequent readmission," Shahid said.