Issues of care of the term infant after discharge from hospital to home care

Currently, neonates are discharged from neonatal units in conformity with the recommendations of the Czech Society of Neonatology

and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic guidelines 72 hours after delivery at the earliest. The recommended length of hospitalization

allows for detecting serious cases of impaired neonatal adaptation after birth (particularly the signs of perinatal asphyxia), ruling

out early forms of perinatal infections, ruling out serious

congenital developmental defects, optimizing

breastfeeding and/or formula feeding, diagnosing

and treatment of severe forms of neonatal jaundice,

and performing compulsory screening tests and TB

vaccination. The early neonatal period is associated

with a very high risk of developing other major complications.

The aim of the article is to highlight the most

common serious complications of the early neonatal

period after the end of hospitalization (three to seven

days after delivery) that may manifest even in the later neonatal period or, possibly, in infancy.

Keywords: neonate, discharge, jaundice, bleeding, convulsions, umbilical stump, dehydration, late sepsis.