About the Infant Monitor Program
Assuring the safe transportation of infants is a requirement at the time of hospital discharge, and consequently, medically fragile and/or premature infants generally undergo a car seat challenge to ensure they are physiologically ready to travel in a rear-facing car seat. Most tested (or challenged) infants will travel home from the hospital in a properly fitted car seat; however, because some infants are unable to maintain a patent airway in the semi-reclined position of a car seat, they must instead travel home in a recumbent car bed.
We meet the needs of high-risk infants at ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children's Hospital with our diagnostic, therapeutic and educational Infant Monitor Program. We support infants and families whose conditions require the use of home monitoring services. Our pediatric pulmonologists are lung specialists who are board-certified in pediatrics and in pediatric pulmonary medicine with a specialty in intensive care and direct patient care. Our team of physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists follow your baby's care.
Infants referred to the Infant Monitor Program may be:
- Babies who experience an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE).
- SIDS siblings.
- Premature infants with apnea/bradycardia.
- Infants with obstructive apnea.
- Babies with seizure/neurological-related apnea.
- Oxygen dependent infants.
- Infants with cardiac problems.
Infants that initially fail the car seat challenge should undergo an additional car seat challenge prior to transitioning to a traditional, semi-reclined car seat. The Infant Monitor Program staff at Toledo and Ebeid Children's Hospitals will administer a follow-up test on infants that failed their initial car seat challenge testing prior to discharge.
Follow-up outpatient testing is done in Harris McIntosh Tower by a respiratory therapist or an RN, when the pediatrician feels it is time to retest. A test will take a minimum of 90 minutes.
We can be reached by telephone 24 hours a day to answer questions and solve problems related to infant alarms and/or equipment use.
Contact the Infant Monitor Program at 419-291-2229 or 800-876-2763.