Almost all preterm babies (especially ELBW and VLBW) need multiple tests to rule out or detect common medical problems.  Some common tests are:

• Blood work is routinely taken to examine many different aspects of your baby’s health
• Chest X-Ray for breathing or lung problems
• Abdo X-Ray for bowel problems
• Echocardiogram for heart problems
• Head Ultrasound to look for sign of bleeding in the brain
  • Keep in mind that while they are important in the care of premature babies, they are only able to give us limited amounts of information, and cannot always give a full or focused picture of what may or may not be wrong.
• Eye examinations to screen for immature blood vessels in the eye called (ROP). The first check is done at around 6 weeks.
• Hearing test to screen for hearing problems. It is checked when your baby is close to going home.

Reference:

AbbVie Corporation (Ed.). (2015). Preemie Parent Handbook (4th ed.). Canada: AbbVie Corportation.