CHILD SAFETY SEAT USE FOR INFANTS WITH PIERRE-ROBIN-SEQUENCE

Objective: To determine what child restraints would accommodate infant s with Pierre Robin sequence who often require special attention in mo tor vehicle travel since microagnathia usually requires a prone positi on to keep the infant's airway open. Research Design: Dynamic testing and clinical trial. Setting: An Indiana children's hospital providing primary and tertiary care. Patients: Four patients with Pierre Robin s equence are described to illustrate use of the modified infant car sea t and the appropriateness of the car bed restraints for meeting requir ements for prone positioning during travel. Selection Procedures: Conv enience sample. lies through a clinical setting until the patient was able to use a conventional child restraint. Measurements and Results: Three child restraint systems were determined to accommodate the prone position necessary to keep the airway open for children with Pierre R obin sequence. Dynamic crash testing demonstrated the crashworthiness of an infant car seat modified to allow for prone positioning. Through a clinical trial, two car bed restraints were also found to provide s afe prone positioning of infants. Conclusions: To enable safe transpor tation for infants with Pierre Robin sequence, health care providers c an direct parents to appropriate resources for travel and can monitor the airway and oxygenation of the infant with Pierre Robin sequence be fore hospital discharge.