Medical Evaluation of Abandoned Infants Less Than 61 Days of Age

[摘要] Case: An infant was dropped off in the emergency center by a family who expressed no intent to return. It was presumed that the infant was born the day before admission based on information gathered by the emergency center. However, no information was provided regarding the infant’s name or place of birth. The patient appeared well and was admitted to the newborn nursery. Vital signs were reassuring, including heart rate 142 beats per minute, respiratory rate 50 breaths per minute, rectal temperature 98.2°F, and pulse oximetry 100% on room air. The gestational age of the infant was estimated to be 39 weeks based on Ballard examination. Growth percentiles were appropriate for gestational age, including weight 3396 g (70%), length 49.5 cm (60%), and head circumference 34 cm (60%).Question: What laws are in place regarding infant abandonment and what are our responsibilities as health care providers? Discussion: The Baby Moses Law was created in an attempt to provide parents a way to safely relinquish custody of infants <61 days old and thereby prevent infants from being abandoned in unsafe locations. It allows a parent to voluntarily deliver a child <61 days of age to a designated emergency infant care (DEIC) provider without intent to return. Texas was the first state to enact this law in 1999 and most states have since adopted similar laws. Each state has slight variations in their law, particularly with regard to patient age and parental privacy. As long as the patient appears healthy, Texas state law does not require parents to provide DEIC providers with any information about the patient. Over the past decade, there has been a decrease in the number of abandoned infants in Texas and a larger percentage have been surrendered under the Baby Moses Law (Table 1). Infant abandonment is a …

[学科分类] 儿科学

[关键词] Campylobacter;proljev;dob