Pediatrics
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It is standard practice to defer discharge of premature infants until they have achieved a set number of days without experiencing apnea. The duration of this period, however, is highly variable across institutions, and there is scant literature on its effectiveness or value-for-money. Our objective was to establish the economic impact of varying durations of predischarge observation for apnea of prematurity. ⋯ In this model, the cost-effectiveness of predischarge monitoring for apnea of prematurity declined significantly as the duration of monitoring was increased. Consideration should be given to alternative uses for resources in formulating neonatal discharge guidelines.
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The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the frequency of clinically significant abnormal neuroimaging in children coming to the emergency department (ED) with new-onset afebrile seizures (ASZ), and 2) to identify children at high or low risk for clinically significant abnormal neuroimaging. ⋯ In this large, retrospective review of children with new-onset ASZ, clinically significant abnormal neuroimaging occurred with relatively low frequency. Emergent neuroimaging should be considered, however, for children who meet high-risk criteria. Well-appearing children who meet low-risk criteria can be safely discharged from the ED (if follow-up can be assured) without emergent neuroimaging, because their risk for clinically significant abnormal neuroimaging is appreciably lower.