To Test or Not to Test: A Retrospective Review of Infant Car Seat Tolerance Screening at a Single Institution

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all neonates born at <37 weeks gestational age (GA), and all infants at risk for cardiorespiratory compromise while seated in a semi-reclined position, undergo Car Seat Tolerance Screening (CSTS) prior to discharge. This test requires significant staff time and resources to complete, and there is tremendous variation in not only criteria and methodology for testing, but also for what constitutes passage or failure. To inform best-practice recommendations, we examined CSTS outcomes among infants tested over a 33-month period at a …