seats & babies' breathing

NEW YORK, Mar 28 (Reuters) Very low birth weight infants (less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces) traveling home from the hospital are just as likely to experience low blood oxygen levels and related problems whether they are placed in a seat or a bed.

''In 1990, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all newborn infants discharged from hospitals should be transported in infant safety seats,'' Dr Walid A Salhab, of the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and colleagues write.

''However, 12 to 30 per cent of premature infants have been reported to have episodes of (low oxygen levels and slow heart beats) while in seats, and studies by (other researchers) suggest that a bed can be adapted to accommodate very small infants,'' they add.

In the current trial, reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers examined whether 151 very low birth weight infant discharged home had fewer events when they were placed in a seat than in a bed. The infants were studied for 120 minutes in a seat and then in a bed.

The team monitored the infants for low blood oxygen levels, slow heart beats, and periods of absent breathing.

Overall, 15 per cent of infants had an event in a seat, compared with 19 per cent in a bed. Six percent of infants in the seat and three percent in the bed developed problems that required the assistance of a nurse. The average time to first event was nearly the same in the seat and as in the bed, roughly 55 minutes.

''Whichever device is used, very low birth weight infants require observation during travel,'' the authors conclude.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr James Greenberg, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, recommends advising parents "to limit the duration of automobile travel with these vulnerable offspring, as well as the importance of close observation. Long trips should be discouraged, or if unavoidable, interrupted with frequent rest stops."