NewsBriefs

Study Suggests Early Discharge of Premature Infants Can Be Safe, Advantageous

Early discharge and home care may speed development of preterm babies.

Preliminary results of an ongoing study of early discharge of premature infants, presented during the annual Society for Pediatric Research meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 10, suggest that case management and home care may allow for safe discharge at four pounds, rather than the traditional four-and-a-half.

The study, led by Eric Gibson, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Jefferson, compares the birth and discharge weights, length of hospital stay, home nursing service duration, home weight gain per day and home care cost of preterm babies discharged at four pounds with those discharged at four-and-a-half. Both groups received nursing and neonatologist care, cardiorespiratory monitoring, support for medication, nasogastric feeds and thermoregulation, with the early discharged babies treated at home under a physician's supervision.

Thus far, findings show that early discharge is not only safe, but beneficial to preterm infants. "This study demonstrates that babies can be safely discharged at four pounds and even grow faster at home because their weight gain is greater," says Dr. Gibson.

In addition to promoting the development of the preterm infants, shortened hospital stays save hospital days and lower costs. "Hospital charges saved on the study group total $9,000 per infant, demonstrating yet another advantage of early discharge," says Dr. Gibson.

Penny Wise Thrift Shop Reopens

The Penny Wise Thrift Shop of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 57-59 E. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, will reopen for consignment only on Wednesday, August 28, and for the season on Tuesday, September 3.

For further information, call the Penny Wise Thrift Shop at 610-642-7239.

Correction:

The first paragraph of the July 1, 1996 JeffNEWS article, "Study Suggests Excision and Surveillance Alone Successfully Treat Noninvasive Breast Cancer," erroneously refers to women with locally advanced breast cancer. In fact, this was not a study of women with locally advanced breast cancer. This paragraph should, therefore, read:

"A new study of women with in situ (noninvasive) ductal breast cancer reveals that excision and surveillance alone are a treatment alternative to mastectomy or irradiation. Results of the study were presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Philadelphia on May 21." Please refer to the July 1, 1996 JeffNEWS for additional information.

Vital Signs

Admissions for 12 months of this fiscal year (July ­p; June) were 25,976 or 5.6 percent below last year. In addition, the average length of stay for the hospital was only 6.1 days, which is a half day below the prior year. Patient days are another critical indicator of the need to save costs since approximately one half of the insurers now pay a daily rate. The hospital's patient days for this period total 157,819 or 24,018 less than last year, reports Walter E. Moore, assistant executive hospital director for fiscal operations.