Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalizations in Healthy Preterm Infants | RTI

Young chronological age and some environmental risk factors are important clinical indicators of an increased risk of RSV hospitalization in healthy preterm infants 32 to 35 weeks of gestational age. SOE was low for estimates of incidence of RSV hospitalizations, in-hospital resource use and recurrent wheezing in this population. Studies were inconsistent in study characteristics, including weeks of gestational age, age during RSV season and control for confounding factors.

Early skin-to-skin contact between healthy late preterm infants and their parents: an observational cohort study [PeerJ]

Background Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is an important factor to consider in the care of late preterm infants (born between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 completed weeks of gestation). The literature suggests that SSC between preterm infants and their mothers facilitates breastfeeding. However, more studies are needed to explore potential dose-response effects between SSC and breastfeeding as well as studies that explicitly investigate SSC by fathers among late preterm infants. The aim was to investigate the duration of healthy late preterm infants SSC with the mother and father, respectively, during the first 48 h after birth and the associations with breastfeeding (exclusive/partial at discharged), clinical and demographic variables. Methods This was an observational cohort study in which parents to healthy late preterm infants, born between 34 5/7 and 36 6/7 completed weeks of gestation, recorded duration of SSC provided by mother and father, respectively. Demographic and clinical variables were retrieved from

Intermanual Transfer of Shapes in Preterm Human Infants From 33 to 34 + 6 Weeks Postconceptional Age - Lejeune - 2012 - Child...

This study investigated the ability of preterm infants to learn an object shape with one hand and discriminate a new shape in the opposite hand (without visual control). Twenty-four preterm infants between 33 and 34 + 6 gestational weeks received a tactile habituation task with either their right or left hand followed by a tactile discrimination task in the opposite hand. The results confirmed that habituation occurred for both shapes and both hands. Infants subsequently held the novel shape longer in the opposite hand. The results reveal that preterm infants are capable of intermanual transfer of shape information. In spite of the immaturity of the corpus callosum in preterm infants, its development seems to be sufficient to allow some transfer of information between both hands. ...

Staphylococcus capitis bacteremia of very low birth weight premature infants at neonatal intensive care units: clinical...

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Premature Infant | HealthLink BC

Many premature infants are resilient and surprise everyone by overcoming great odds. Expect that your infant can progress for several days but may then have a medical setback.. Premature infants are more likely than others to get an infection. And organs that have not had time to mature can cause a number of problems.. The more premature a newborn is, the greater is the babys risk of having medical problems.. Infants born at 23 to 26 weeks gestation are extremely underdeveloped and have a much higher risk of death or disability. Parents of these infants are likely to be faced with difficult medical decisions. Infants who have reached their 32nd week of development before birth are less at risk than those who are born earlier.. Babies born at 34 to almost 37 weeks gestation are called late preterm infants. Although they are not as likely to have as many problems as infants who are born earlier, they are at risk for breathing problems, high blood pressure in the lungs, and other short-term and ...

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens - High-Risk Newborns - Prematurity

Other terms often used for prematurity are preterm and "preemie." Many premature babies also weigh less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) and may be referred to as low birthweight (LBW).. Premature infants born between 34 and 37 weeks of pregnancy are often called late preterm or near-term infants. Late preterm infants are often much larger than very premature infants but may only be slightly smaller than full-term infants.. Late preterm babies usually appear healthy at birth but may have more difficulties adapting than full-term babies. Because of their smaller size, they may have trouble maintaining their body temperature. They often have difficulty with breastfeeding and bottle feeding, and may need to eat more frequently. They usually require more sleep and may even sleep through a feeding, which means they miss much-needed calories.. Late preterm infants may also have breathing difficulties, although these are often identified before the infants go home from the hospital. These infants are also ...

Hierarchical maturation of innate immune defences in very preterm neonates<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Hierarchical maturation of innate immune defences in very preterm neonates. AU - Sharma, Ashish Arunkumar. AU - Jen, Roger. AU - Brant, Rollin. AU - Ladd, Mihoko. AU - Huang, Qing. AU - Skoll, Amanda. AU - Senger, Christof. AU - Turvey, Stuart E.. AU - Marr, Nico. AU - Lavoie, Pascal M.. PY - 2014. Y1 - 2014. N2 - Background: Preterm neonates are highly vulnerable to infection. Objectives: To investigate the developmental contribution of prematurity, chorioamnionitis and antenatal corticosteroids (ANS) on the maturation of neonatal microbial pathogen recognition responses. Methods: Using standardized protocols, we assayed multiple inflammatory cytokine responses (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12/23p40) to three prototypic Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, i.e. TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide), TLR5 (flagellin) and TLR7/8 (R848), and to the non-TLR retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptor agonist, in cord blood mononuclear cells from neonates born before 33 weeks of gestation ...

Decreased Regional Brain Volume and Cognitive Impairment in Preterm Children at Low Risk | American Academy of Pediatrics

Our study used a VBM technique to investigate the regional distribution of GM and WM volume reductions and their relationship with cognitive outcome in a sample of preterm children with low risk for neurodevelopmental deficits. We demonstrated that preterm children at low risk are characterized by the presence of regional cortical GM volume reductions unilaterally in the parietal lobe and bilaterally in the temporal lobe, which correlated strongly with IQ. Preterm children also showed WM volume reductions that were concomitant with the GM loss in the parietal and temporal regions.. In contrast to previous studies of preterm children at high risk, which demonstrated decreases in total cerebral volumes,11,15,34,35 our preterm children had only reduced total GM volume. MRI studies reported abnormalities in several WM brain areas, including all lobes, associative tracts, and the corpus callosum, in preterm children and adolescents.36-38 Contrary to these findings, the absence of major WM impairment ...

White Matter Injury and General Movements in High-Risk Preterm Infants | American Journal of Neuroradiology

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Very preterm infants (birth weight, ,1500 g) are at increased risk of cognitive and motor impairment, including cerebral palsy. These adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes are associated with white matter abnormalities on MR imaging at term-equivalent age. Cerebral palsy has been predicted by analysis of spontaneous movements in the infant termed "General Movement Assessment." The goal of this study was to determine the utility of General Movement Assessment in predicting adverse cognitive, language, and motor outcomes in very preterm infants and to identify brain imaging markers associated with both adverse outcomes and aberrant general movements. ...

Preterm Infants: Transition to Home and Follow-up

... focuses on discharge management, transition to home and postdischarge issues for preterm infants and their families. The module emphasizes incorporating family-centered care principles into nursing practice to enhance parental confidence and competence. The module focuses on preterm infants, including infants discharged on medications, infants requiring short-term technological support (such as cardiorespiratory monitors and oxygen) and late preterm infants. Many late preterm infants are not admitted to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) but are cared for in mother-baby units or low-risk nurseries. Nurses can use this module to learn and expand discharge planning skills. Approval Information This course was developed by the March of Dimes, which will provide the contact hours and process the continuing education tests. The March of Dimes is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the New York State Nurses Association, an

Ocular changes in premature infants

Introduction: This article aimed to review the literatures on visual impairments and ocular changes in premature infants with low birth weight and gestational age.Methods: Five electronic databases including: PubMed, Web of Science, Science direct, Ovid, and Scopus were searched. Original articles published until 2015 describing preterm infants were reviewed. Repetitive and derivative articles were excluded.Results: Out of 100 unique, potentially relevant articles, 42 studies that addressed and met the inclusion criteria were evaluated.Conclusion: Prematurity affects ocular structures (from anterior to posterior segment) and functions. Premature infants are at risk of myopization. Concerning the changes in premature infants, a significant increase is found in axial length, intraocular pressure, and central corneal thickness; moreover, high incidence of retinal changes is reported as a result of prematurity. On the other hand, visual acuity, tear, electroretinogram, and visual evoked potential responses

Potential risk factors for the development of acute renal failure in preterm newborn infants: a case-control study | ADC Fetal ...

Aims: To determine in a case-control study possible associations between the development of acute renal failure in preterm newborns and therapeutic interventions, particularly drug treatments.. Methods: The study population was 172 preterm infants of ,38 weeks gestation; 71 had acute renal failure and 101 were controls closely matched for gestational age and birth weight. Maternal and neonatal information was collected for both groups through questionnaires and interviews. Routine data on renal variables were also collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.. Results: Very low birthweight infants were at high risk of acute renal failure (79% of cases were ,1500 g). However, the acute renal failure was transient. Mothers of infants with acute renal failure received more drugs during pregnancy and delivery (mainly antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Of the possible therapeutic interventions, intubation, catheterisation, and phototherapy ...

Health Effects of Vitamins: Vitamin A and prevent mortality and short- and long-term morbidity in very low birthweight infants

US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, researchers filed the result that Nine trials met the inclusion criteria, eight compared vitamin A supplementation with a control (1291 infants), and one compared different regimens (120 infants). Compared to the control group, vitamin A appears to be beneficial in reducing death or oxygen requirement at one month of age (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.99; RD -0.05, 95% CI -0.10 to -0.01; NNTB 20, 95% CI 10 to 100; 1165 infants) and oxygen requirement at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.98; RD -0.08, 95% CI -0.14 to -0.01; NNTB 13, 95% CI 7 to 100; 824 infants). A trend towards a reduction in death or oxygen requirement at 36 weeks postmenstrual age was also noted (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.00; 1001 infants). Neurodevelopmental assessment of 88% of surviving infants in the largest trial showed no differences between the groups at 18 to 22 months of age, corrected for prematurity. The different dosage vitamin A ...

What is the role of postconceptional age and topography in the visual analysis of neonatal electroencephalogram (EEG)?

An accurate estimate of postconceptional age is required because features in the EEG vary with the age of the newborn. Postconceptional age is defined as gestational age (in weeks) plus the number of ... more

Imaging brain development in preterm and term infants - Zurich Open Repository and Archive

The incidence of preterm birth (at less than 32 weeks of gestation) is estimated at 1-2% of all live births. In Switzerland, over the last ten years, approximately 782 preterm infants per year have been born between 23 and 32 weeks of gestation. Owing to improved neonatal intensive care, the number of very preterm infants surviving into childhood is rising. Indeed, the survival of those extremely low birth weight infants has been increasing over the last decade, especially for the preterm infants born below 26 weeks of gestation. Premature infants are, however, extremely vulnerable to brain injury. Five to 10% of the survivors develop cerebral palsy, and 40-50% develop cognitive and behavioural deficits. Hence, brain injury and its consequences in preterm infants is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Another population at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment are the infants with congenital heart disease. These infants are known to have a wide range of developmental and neurological ...

where to buy Warm Winter clothing premature infants in UK | Premature Baby Birth Babies plus sad Baby Loss

where to buy Warm Winter clothing premature infants in UK there is nothing worse than seeing a premature infant girls little legs have a mottled pattern on them due to being too cold.Some tights are just not small enough or for premature babies because they are way too baggy on slender legs. for widest range of winter premature baby tights …Continue reading →. ...

premature infants | Premature Baby Birth Babies plus sad Baby Loss

where to buy Warm Winter clothing premature infants in UK there is nothing worse than seeing a premature infant girls little legs have a mottled pattern on them due to being too cold.Some tights are just not small enough or for premature babies because they are way too baggy on slender legs. for widest range of winter premature baby tights …Continue reading →. ...

Parents' first moments with their very preterm babies: a qualitative study | BMJ Open

This is the first in-depth study of initial experiences of parents of their very preterm baby and NICU. Results show that parents have difficulty remembering aspects of the birth and experience a rollercoaster of emotions during this time. Individual differences in emotions were most apparent between the birth and seeing their baby in NICU when parents were either nervous and fearful, or eager and excited. NICU was initially overpowering for parents, especially those who had not visited it previously or who saw their baby for the very first time there. However, being able to touch and hold the baby in NICU was important in triggering or strengthening the bond between parents and their baby. Parents who are anxious and avoidant of initial contact with the NICU or their baby are at risk of poor attachment and mental health26 therefore parents need help to overcome this. Interestingly, a few first-time parents appeared to be protected by their inexperience of a normal birth and reported ...

Socio-Emotional Development in Preterm Infants - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

With advances in medicine and medical technology, premature infants born as early as 24 weeks of gestation and with birth weight less than 1000 grams are surviving today. Preterms are born with immature biological systems. Given their biological vulnerabilities, preterm infants are at risk for a variety of health and developmental problems.. As a group, preterms show developmental delays in physical growth, motor skills, attention, social communicative skills, intelligence, language, academic performance, and later behavior problems. Furthermore, research indicates that preterms are difficult social partners for their parents.. Despite biological insults and relational difficulties, research also shows that the development of premature infants appears to be facilitated by sensitive and responsive parenting. Little attention, however, has been paid to understand the social risks faced by preterm infants.. The proposed research, therefore, is designed to:. ...

Comparing the Diagnosis of White Matter Injury in Premature Newborns with Serial MR Imaging and Transfontanel Ultrasonography...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The accurate identification of white matter injury in premature neonates is important for counseling parents and for targeting these high risk neonates for appropriate rehabilitation services. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnosis of white matter injury detected by serial MR imaging and ultrasonography of a contemporary cohort of premature neonates.. METHODS: Each of the 32 consecutively enrolled neonates was studied with MR imaging at a median postconceptional age of 31.9 weeks (range, 27.6-38.1 weeks) and again at a median postconceptional age of 36.5 weeks (range, 33.4-42.9 weeks) and with serial ultrasonography according to a clinical protocol. Because periventricular echogenicity shown on ultrasonograms evolves over time, both the highest grade of echogenicity and the grade of echogenicity shown on the last neonatal ultrasonogram were used in the analysis to determine the predictive values and correlation (Spearmans rho) of ultrasonography for ...

Neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely preterm infants at 2.5 years after active perinatal care in Sweden

IMPORTANCE: Active perinatal care increases survival of extremely preterm infants; however, improved survival might be associated with increased disability among survivors.. OBJECTIVE: To determine neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely preterm children at 2.5 years (corrected age).. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Population-based prospective cohort of consecutive extremely preterm infants born before 27 weeks of gestation in Sweden between 2004 and 2007. Of 707 live-born infants, 491 (69%) survived to 2.5 years. Survivors were assessed and compared with singleton control infants who were born at term and matched by sex, ethnicity, and municipality. Assessments ended in February 2010 and comparison estimates were adjusted for demographic differences. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Cognitive, language, and motor development was assessed with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (3rd edition; Bayley-lll), which are standardized to mean (SD) scores of 100 (15). Clinical examination and ...

Minimal Breathing Support and Early Steroids to Prevent Chronic Lung Disease in Extremely Premature Infants (SAVE) - Full Text...

Chronic lung disease (CLD), also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), in very premature infants has been associated with mechanical ventilation and relative adrenal insufficiency.. This multicenter clinical trial tested whether minimal ventilation decreases death or BPD. Infants with birth weight 501g to 1000g and mechanically ventilated before 12 hours were randomly assigned to minimal ventilation (partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PCO(2)] target ,52 mm Hg) or routine ventilation (PCO(2) target ,48 mm Hg) and a tapered dexamethasone course or saline placebo for 10 days, using a 2 x 2 factorial design. The primary outcome was death or BPD at 36 weeks postmenstrual age. Blood gases, ventilator settings, and FiO2 were recorded for 10 days; complications and outcomes were monitored to discharge.. The trial was terminated by the Steering Committee when the interim analysis for the Data Safety and Monitoring Committee showed a higher rate of spontaneous gastrointestinal perforations in the ...

Refraction and keratometry in 40 week old premature (corrected age) and term infants | British Journal of Ophthalmology

The increasing survival rate of premature infants has led to an increase in long term ocular problems, such as ROP and its sequelae-refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia.4-22,30,31. Myopia is a common finding in premature infants, and its incidence increases with lower gestational age and the severity of ROP.15-25,28-33 Holmström et al8 pointed out that even in premature infants without ROP, the risk of myopia and anisometropia is higher than in full term infants: the overall incidence of myopia in their preterm babies was 8% at the corrected age of 6 months and 10% at 30 months. The rate of occurrence of myopia was higher in eyes with ROP than eyes without, and higher in the more premature infants.. Choi et al15 and Lue et al19 reported that in premature infants, myopia begins to appear at 6 months of age and increases in severity between ages 6 months and 3 years. Eyes with ROP are more susceptible to a dramatic change in refractive status after 6 months of age, with no further ...

Safety of routine early MRI in preterm infants.

Cerebral MRI performed on preterm infants at term-equivalent 30 weeks gestational age (GA) is increasingly performed as part of standard clinical care. We evaluated safety of these early MRI procedures. We retrospectively collected data

Monitoring the Postnatal Growth of Preterm Infants: A Paradigm Change | American Academy of Pediatrics

Although it is likely that a larger sample would have improved the precision of the extreme centiles at low gestational ages, those that are close to the median would not be expected to change much.. Hence, the INTERGROWTH-21st Preterm Postnatal Growth Standards are a robust tool for monitoring the growth of more than 90% of preterm infants who are born at ≥32 weeks gestation. This is presently relevant because these preterm infants are now recognized to be at high risk of short- and long-term complications and because the increasing rate of preterm births observed in many countries (associated with infertility treatments) is mostly caused by an increase in moderate and late preterm births.39. The diagnosis of extrauterine growth restriction for preterm infants when they reach term-corrected age should, therefore, be reserved for those who fail to follow the growth patterns (ie, below 2 SDs or a given centile) of their preterm counterparts in these standards, rather than the growth patterns ...

Care of the Premature Infant | Naperville, IL | Milestone Pediatrics

Thermoregulation. Preterm infants are not able to maintain their body temperature without an external heat source. Initially, heat will be provided with an overhead warmer that responds to the babys temperature and provides adequate warmth to maintain a normal body temperature. The warmer provides easy access to the baby for necessary cares during the early, "unstable" period. When more stable, the baby will be moved into an incubator to maintain a warm environment. Most infants are able to move into an open crib at a weight of approximately 1,800 grams.. Nutrition. Initially, premature infants are given all the necessary fluid, calories, protein, sugar, and fat in their veins. When their condition stabilizes, a feeding tube into their stomachs can start. The amount of feeds starts at a very low level, and it is advanced slowly over 3 to 7 days to "full" feeds. At this point, the infant no longer needs fluids or nutrition into their veins. Once full feeds are achieved, anticipated rates of ...

Care of the Premature Infant | Parker, CO | Parker Pediatrics

Thermoregulation. Preterm infants are not able to maintain their body temperature without an external heat source. Initially, heat will be provided with an overhead warmer that responds to the babys temperature and provides adequate warmth to maintain a normal body temperature. The warmer provides easy access to the baby for necessary cares during the early, "unstable" period. When more stable, the baby will be moved into an incubator to maintain a warm environment. Most infants are able to move into an open crib at a weight of approximately 1,800 grams.. Nutrition. Initially, premature infants are given all the necessary fluid, calories, protein, sugar, and fat in their veins. When their condition stabilizes, a feeding tube into their stomachs can start. The amount of feeds starts at a very low level, and it is advanced slowly over 3 to 7 days to "full" feeds. At this point, the infant no longer needs fluids or nutrition into their veins. Once full feeds are achieved, anticipated rates of ...

Care of the Premature Infant | Anchorage, AK | Alaska Childrens Heart Center

Thermoregulation. Preterm infants are not able to maintain their body temperature without an external heat source. Initially, heat will be provided with an overhead warmer that responds to the babys temperature and provides adequate warmth to maintain a normal body temperature. The warmer provides easy access to the baby for necessary cares during the early, "unstable" period. When more stable, the baby will be moved into an incubator to maintain a warm environment. Most infants are able to move into an open crib at a weight of approximately 1,800 grams.. Nutrition. Initially, premature infants are given all the necessary fluid, calories, protein, sugar, and fat in their veins. When their condition stabilizes, a feeding tube into their stomachs can start. The amount of feeds starts at a very low level, and it is advanced slowly over 3 to 7 days to "full" feeds. At this point, the infant no longer needs fluids or nutrition into their veins. Once full feeds are achieved, anticipated rates of ...

Investigating the variations in survival rates for very preterm infants in 10 European regions: the MOSAIC birth cohort | ADC...

The aim of this project was to standardise the data collection for very preterm infants, across 10 regions in Europe, for the total cohort of 22 + 0 to 31 + 6-week infants. One major issue was the heterogeneity of outcomes of pregnancy for very preterm births that should be considered separately in order to develop a logical system of reporting to facilitate both intra-national and international comparisons.9 For example, in the MOSAIC regions policies and practices for congenital anomalies screening and termination of pregnancies varied and some MOSAIC regions had a higher proportion of terminations of pregnancy for congenital anomalies in the very preterm births cohort: 17.6% in France and 14.7% in Italy. These different practices and their impact on the rates of termination of pregnancy have been explored elsewhere.10 We suggest that terminations of pregnancy for major congenital anomalies be reported separately and excluded from comparisons of pregnancy outcomes between countries to allow ...

Indices of glucose homeostasis in cord blood in term and preterm newborns<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Indices of glucose homeostasis in cord blood in term and preterm newborns. AU - Ahmad, Afzal. AU - Rukmini, M. S.. AU - Yadav, Charu. AU - Agarwal, Ashish. AU - Manjrekar, Poornima A.. AU - Hegde, Anupama. PY - 2016/9/1. Y1 - 2016/9/1. N2 - Objective: According to the thrifty phenotype hypothesis, intrauterine malnutrition has a role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes. This study was planned to determine the early alterations in indices of glucose homeostasis (glucose, insulin, and cortisol) in term and preterm newborns and the correlations of glucose, insulin, and cortisol levels with insulin resistance indices. Methods: A descriptive study comprising 35 term and 35 preterm newborns was carried out from December 2013 to June 2015. Venous cord blood was collected and plasma glucose was analyzed by the glucose oxidase-peroxidase method in an auto analyzer. Serum insulin and cortisol levels were assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Homeostasis model assessment of ...

Natural History And Risk Factors Analysis For Retinopathy Of Prematurity In Premature Infants In Taiwan: A Prospective Study At...

Purpose: : To study the natural history and the major risk factors of ROP among the infants in Taiwan. Methods: : A prospective natural history study of ROP was performed for all premature infants from June 2010 to July 2011 at our childrens hospital. Patients were screened with birth weight (BW) less than 1500 grams or gestational age (GA) less than 32 weeks or selected infants with BW more than 1500 grams or GA more than 32 weeks with an unstable clinical course, including those requiring cardiorespiratory support and who are believed to be high risk by their pediatrician. The incidence of advanced ROP, the need for laser, Bevacizumab, or vitrectomy treatment was documented. The associated risk factors for the development of ROP were recorded. Results: : We enrolled 223 premature infants, and 98 infants (44%) developed ROP. The mean gestational age (GA) was 29.2 ± 3.0 (range 28-36) weeks and the mean BW was 1247.0 ± 441.5 (range 700-2705) grams. The incidence of ROP among BW more and less ...

Prospective randomised controlled trial of an infection screening programme to reduce the rate of preterm delivery | The BMJ

Preterm delivery (birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. In recent years the birth weight of premature babies has been found to be an important determinant of outcome, such that preterm birth is no longer defined solely by gestational age but also in terms of a birth weight below 2500 g. The main focus has been on preterm infants with a birth weight below 2000 g, who bear the greatest burden of morbidity and mortality. The costs of neonatal care for infants born at less than 33 weeks of gestation (birth weight below 2000 g) rise exponentially as gestational age decreases and rise further with birth weights below 1000 g.1. Advances in neonatal practice have improved the chances of survival for preterm infants with a very low birth weight.2 However, low birthweight infants are still at a higher risk of neurodevelopmental morbidity than preterm infants with a higher birth weight and, as a group, incur notable social and healthcare ...

Oropharyngeal administration of mother's colostrum, health outcomes of premature infants: study protocol for a randomized...

Extremely premature (birth weight < 1250 g) infants are at high risk for acquiring late-onset sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis, which are associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Own mothers milk contains protective (immune and trophic) biofactors which provide antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions, enhance intestinal microbiota, and promote intestinal maturation. Many of these biofactors are most highly concentrated in the milk expressed by mothers of extremely premature infants. However, since extremely premature infants do not receive oral milk feeds until 32 weeks post-conceptional age, they lack the potential benefit provided by milk (biofactor) exposure to oropharyngeal immunocompetent cells, and this deficiency could contribute to late-onset sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Therefore, oropharyngeal administration of own mothers milk may improve the health outcomes of these infants. To compare the effects of oropharyngeal

Clinical Guidelines (Nursing) : Apnoea Monitoring Post Operatively in Infants

Healthy preterm infants who have reached a PMA of 60 weeks can be sent home on standard discharge criteria if the Anaesthetist and Surgeon agree. For term infants between 46-60 weeks PMA there is currently no consensus as to whether or not these infants need overnight apnoea monitoring. At RCH it is at the discretion of the Anaesthetist, in discussion with the Surgeon whether an infant of 46-60 weeks PMA warrants admission or an extended stay for post-operative apnoea monitoring. An extended period of stay allows the patient to receive post-operative apnoea monitoring in Day of Surgery for a shorter period than 12 hours. This enables the patient to have several sleep wake cycles while receiving apnoea monitoring. The Anaesthetist will then review the patient later in the day and determine to send the patient home if there have been no clinically significant apnoeas or other issues. Any infant who has had a clinically significant apnoea in the postoperative period should be admitted for overnight ...

Breast Milk Associated With Greater Mental Development in Preterm Infants, Fewer Re-hospitalizations | National Institutes of...

Extremely low birth weight premature infants who received breast milk shortly after birth, while still in intensive care units, had greater mental development scores at 30 months than did infants who were not fed breast milk, reported researchers in an NIH network.

Early morbidities and mortality in late preterm and associated maternal risk factors: a tertiary care centre experience |...

Result: 300 late preterm babies were studied. 84.33% of the total late preterm newborns were low birth weight babies. 28% were associated with maternal complications. Incidence of pregnancy induced hypertension was 14% in this study. 11.33% of the late preterm newborns needed resuscitation. Out of all the morbidities associated with late preterms, incidence of respiratory distress was highest with 31 %. According to this study, incidence of hyperbilirubinemia, hypothermia and respiratory distress syndrome was more towards the 34 weeks of gestation. This study shows that as the gestational age decreases, the late preterms are more prone for RDS, hypothermia and hyperbilirubinemia ...

A hearing screening in very low birth weight preterm infants by auditory brainstem response<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - A hearing screening in very low birth weight preterm infants by auditory brainstem response. AU - Wu, J. L.. AU - Huang, C. C.. AU - Kao, C. C.. PY - 1998. Y1 - 1998. N2 - Background: ABR has been used as an objective, non-invasive tool to screen neonatal deafness. In this article, we evaluated the prevalence of deafness in VLBW preterm newborns by ABR, and attempted to search for a suitable failed/passed criterion. Methods: ABR screening test was performed in 88 VLBW preterm newborns. The infants whose threshold was ≤ 35dB nHL were classified as Group A; those whose threshold was ≤ 25dB nHL were classified as Group B. All of the newborns of either Group A or Group B received the successive ABR screening test and behavioral audiometry to confirm whether they have hearing impairment or not. Results: Fourteen newborns (16%) were included in Group A and 19 newborns (22%) in Group B. There were five newborns who belonged to Group B, but not to Group A; all of them were found ...

Dysphonia in very preterm children: prevalence, presentation, influencing factors and response to treatment - the UWA...

TY - THES. T1 - Dysphonia in very preterm children: prevalence, presentation, influencing factors and response to treatment. AU - Reynolds, Mary Victoria. PY - 2015. Y1 - 2015. N2 - IntroductionDysphonia is a potential long-term outcome of extreme prematurity and has been linked with female gender, multiple intubations, extremely low birth weight, birth at ,27 weeks gestation, complicated intubation procedure and surgical ligation of patent ductus arteriosus (Chapter 2). Dysphonia in extremely preterm children may be persistent (Chapter 3). The aforementioned risk factors may also be experienced following very preterm birth, yet systematic investigations of voice outcomes in very preterm children are lacking.AimsThis thesis presents the prevalence of dysphonia in very preterm children aged between 6 and 12 years old in Western Australia, with reference to a term-born comparison group recruited from the same community (Chapters 6 and 7). Demographic and medical data were abstracted from medical ...

Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. - Nuffield Department of...

BACKGROUND: Infections acquired in hospital are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants. Several small trials have suggested that supplementing the enteral diet of very preterm infants with lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein processed from cows milk, prevents infections and associated complications. The aim of this large randomised controlled trial was to collect data to enhance the validity and applicability of the evidence from previous trials to inform practice. METHODS: In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited very preterm infants born before 32 weeks gestation in 37 UK hospitals and younger than 72 h at randomisation. Exclusion criteria were presence of a severe congenital anomaly, anticipated enteral fasting for longer than 14 days, or no realistic prospect of survival. Eligible infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either enteral bovine lactoferrin (150 mg/kg per day; maximum 300 mg/day; lactoferrin group) or sucrose (same dose;

RePub, Erasmus University Repository: Preeclampsia and risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very preterm neonates

Objective: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe common complication of preterm birth with considerable short and long-term consequences. As more evidence is emerging that dysregulation of angiogenesis is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia as well as in fetal lung development, we assessed if preeclampsia is associated with development of BPD in very preterm neonates. Study design: A retrospective cohort study of 308 infants born between 24+0 and 31+6 weeks of gestation in 2011 and 2012. We performed association analysis with univariable and multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. Models were additionally adjusted for intermediates, to show how an association can be disguised by over adjusting. Main outcome measure: BPD was diagnosed at 36+0 weeks postmenstrual age and defined as the need for oxygen (FiO2 , 0.21) for at least 12 h per day, for more than 28 days before or at 36+0 weeks postmenstrual age, and classified as mild, moderate or severe. Results: ...

Comparative randomized study: administration of natural and synthetic surfactant to premature newborns with respiratory...

BACKGROUND The respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature newborns has been etiologically correlated to immature lungs and specifically with surfactant deficiency. Exogenous administration of surfactant is nowadays considered to be the treatment of choice. In this paper we attempt a comparison of clinical results from the administration of natural Alveofact and synthetic Exosurf surfactants in premature newborns with respiratory distress syndrome. METHODS The study subjects were 92 premature newborns who had been hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology, of the University of Crete. A total of 42 subjects received synthetic surfactant and 50 subjects received natural surfactant. The surfactant was administered in one to three doses, depending on respiratory support requirements. RESULTS The time of administration was a little longer for the natural surfactant group. The duration of mechanical ventilatory support, requiring oxygen, the duration of hospitalization and the percentage of

Premature Babies | definition of Premature Babies by Medical dictionary

Looking for online definition of Premature Babies in the Medical Dictionary? Premature Babies explanation free. What is Premature Babies? Meaning of Premature Babies medical term. What does Premature Babies mean?

The effect of antenatal magnesium sulfate on intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants: a systematic review and meta...

IVH is one of the most common complications in premature infants, and can cause long-term disability, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, seizures, behavioral and cognitive impairment, and death [31,32]. Studies have shown that the immature antioxidant system of the preterm infant can cause damage to the endothelial cells and alter brain hemostasis, can increase the susceptibility to reactive oxygen species, and, finally, increase the risk for IVH [33-35], Furthermore, studies have shown that approximately one third of cerebral palsy cases and IVH occur in premature infants [36]. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis study was designed to investigate the effect of antenatal MgSO4 on IVH in premature infants.. The results of our study indicate that although MgSO4 had a protective effect on IVH, this effect is not statistically significant (pooled RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.03). Although studies have shown MgSO4 being used for the first time in obstetric practice, there is a ...

Latency to facial expression change following noxious stimulation in infants is dependent on postmenstrual age. - Wellcome...

Change in facial expression over a fixed time after a noxious stimulus is the key measure used to calculate pain scores in preterm and newborn infants. We hypothesised that the latency of facial motor responses would be longer in the youngest premature infants and that behavioural scoring methods of pain may need to take this into account. One hundred and seventy-two clinically required heel lances were performed in 95 infants from 25 to 44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). Sixty-four percentage of the heel lances evoked a change in facial expression. Change in facial expression was observed in infants across the whole age range from 25 weeks PMA and the latency to the facial expression response ranged from 1 to 17s. Latency to facial expression change was dependent on the infants PMA at the time of the heel lance. Infants below 32 weeks PMA had a significantly longer latency to change in facial expression than older infants (54% increase in infants below 32 weeks; p | 0.001). Sleep state and presence of

Inserm - Assessing the risk of early unplanned rehospitalisation in preterm babies: EPIPAGE 2 study

BACKGROUND: Gaining a better understanding of the probability, timing and prediction of rehospitalisation amongst preterm babies could help improve outcomes. There is limited research addressing these topics amongst extremely and very preterm babies. In this context, unplanned rehospitalisations constitute an important, potentially modifiable adverse event. We aimed to establish the probability, time-distribution and predictability of unplanned rehospitalisation within 30 days of discharge in a population of French preterm babies. METHODS: This study used data from EPIPAGE 2, a population-based prospective study of French preterm babies. Only those babies discharged home alive and whose parents responded to the one-year survey were eligible for inclusion in our study. For Kaplan-Meier analysis, the outcome was unplanned rehospitalisation censored at 30 days. For predictive modelling, the outcome was binary, recording unplanned rehospitalisation within 30 days of discharge. Predictors included

"Non-pharmacological Measures in Preterm Newborns Submitted to Arterial" by G. M. Melo and M. V. Cardoso

OBJECTIVE: to assess pain in preterm newborns and to compare the neonatal and therapeutic variables with the total scores of the Neonatal Facial Coding System of preterm newborns submitted to arterial puncture exposed to music and 25% oral glucose. METHOD: a comparative study with 48 recordings of preterm newborns - Group 1, music (26); Group 2, glucose 25% (22) - individually analyzed by three trained nurses, after Kappa of at least 80%. RESULTS: the variables and the pain scores of the groups did not present statistical significance (p | 0.05) according to the Neonatal Facial Coding System. 80.8% of the preterm infants in Group 1 had a higher quantitative score |/= 3 in the neonatal variables (gender, type of delivery), and therapeutic variables (type of oxygen therapy, place of hospitalization, type of puncture). CONCLUSION: There was no difference when comparing the music and glucose 25% groups and the variables studied.

Pharmacological closure of symptomatic PDA in premature infants using indomethacin<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Pharmacological closure of symptomatic PDA in premature infants using indomethacin. AU - Ho, M. Y.. AU - Huang, F. Y.. AU - Kao, H. A.. PY - 1991/1/1. Y1 - 1991/1/1. N2 - When left to right shunting through the ductus arteriosus is of a degree contributing to the cardiopulmonary problems in a premature infant, the condition is clinically termed symptomatic PDA. It is also generally agreed that symptomatic PDA if left untreated is a significant cause of increased morbidity and mortality. Studies have also concluded that all infants with symptomatic PDA who are prematurely born and/or ventilator dependent should be considered candidates for ductal closure by either pharmacological or surgical mean. Over a period of approximately 2 1/2 years, 22 premature infants with symptomatic PDA have been treated here with powder form indomethacin. The one course success rate was 68%. Thereafter, in another 2 1/2 years, 33 cases were selected for whom a liquid form was used instead. The success ...

Risk-adjusted intraventricular hemorrhage rates in very premature infants: towards quality assurance between neonatal units. -...

BACKGROUND The incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in very low birth weight infants can be used as an index of the quality of care in neonatal intensive care units as long as it is adjusted to reflect the infants risk profiles on admission to the unit, which may vary systematically from one institution to another. Adjustment for gestational, birth-related, and neonatological risk factors enables a fair comparison of IVH rates across neonatal intensive care units. METHODS Data on 1782 neonates born at less than 32 weeks of gestation or weighing less than 1500 g at birth were retrieved from the 26 744 anonymous data sets collected in the Peri- and Neonatal Survey of the German state of Saxony in the years 2001-2005. An analysis of 30 putative risk factors with stepwise logistic regression analysis enabled the construction of a specific risk predictor for severe (grade 3-4) IVH. Risk-adjusted institutional incidence rates were then calculated. RESULTS Five independent risk factors (low

British Library EThOS: Neonatal outcomes and early childhood development of late preterm infants (born at 34-36 weeks gestation...

Late preterm infants (born at 34-36 weeks gestation) have increasingly been regarded as at risk rather than Iow risk infants. The impact of neonatal morbidity and admission for neonatal care, on the longer term outcomes of LPls has not been fully explored. This thesis has sought to bridge an identified gap in the literature relating to this significant group of neonatal care graduates. The overall aim of this thesis was to consider the significant population of LPls who require admission for neonatal care. Firstly, maternal and perinatal risk factors and neonatal outcomes were considered through a descriptive analysis of neonatal data from the Neonatal Intensive Care Outcomes Research and Evaluation (NICORE) database. The second component of the thesis then considered specifically the early childhood development (cognition, language, motor development, physical health and growth) at three years of age of LPls who required neonatal Intensive Care (lC) compared with infants of the same ...

Effect of Late-Onset Sepsis on Energy Expenditure in Extremely Premature Infants<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Effect of Late-Onset Sepsis on Energy Expenditure in Extremely Premature Infants. AU - Torine, Ilana J.. AU - Denne, Scott C.. AU - Wright-Coltart, Shirley. AU - Leitch, Catherine. PY - 2007/5. Y1 - 2007/5. N2 - The purpose of this study was to compare total energy expenditure (TEE) in extremely premature infants during and after an episode of sepsis. We hypothesized that TEE in the sepsis group (SEP) would be higher during the septic period and higher than an age-matched control group (CTL). We further hypothesized that the TEE of the SEP group during the recovery period would be similar to that of the CTL group. The doubly labeled water method was used to determine TEE in both groups. Infant characteristics were as follows: SEP group, n = 10, gestation = 26 ± 1 wk, birth weight = 854 ± 218 g; CTL group, n = 10, gestation = 26 ± 1 wk, birth weight = 880 ± 158 g. TEE of the SEP group during the septic period was significantly greater than during the recovery period (96 ± 25 ...

The Impact of Small for Gestational Age Birth Status Upon Premature Children<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - The Impact of Small for Gestational Age Birth Status Upon Premature Children. AU - Dowling, Monica. AU - Bendell-Estroff, Debra. PY - 1991/6. Y1 - 1991/6. N2 - This study documented the degree and nature of developmental risk associated with intrauterine growth retardation in preterm infants Twenty-three preschool children who were SGA preterms were compared with 30 appropriate for gestational age children using the Stanford Binet 4, the Preschool Behavior Problem Checklist, and the Brazy Perinatal Biological Scoring System There were no significant differences between the groups on cognitive or behavioral measures Results suggested that small for gestational age status does not appear to increase the risk associated with prematurity in low socio-economic status children There are indications that environmental factors mediate outcome and that low socioeconomic status children require careful follow up.. AB - This study documented the degree and nature of developmental risk ...

Protein supplementation of human milk for promoting growth in preterm infants | Cochrane

Review question We reviewed the evidence to see whether the addition of extra protein to human milk, compared with no additional protein, fed to preterm infants, improved growth, body fat, obesity, heart problems, high blood sugar, and brain development, without significant side effects.. Background Lack of adequate protein intake during the early stages of the preterm infants life can result in poor growth and development. Preterm infants need more protein than full term babies. Breast milk has numerous benefits for babies born preterm (before 37 weeks), but its protein content is variable, and may not meet the nutritional needs of the rapidly growing preterm infant. Therefore, to meet their higher protein needs, and to promote optimum health and long-term development, additional protein, in the form of a fortifier, may be added to expressed breast milk for preterm babies.. Study characteristics We found six randomised trials (trials in which each infant had an equal chance of being chosen to ...

"Inguinal hernia in the premature infant: management of a common proble" by Angela J. Burd and Randall S. Burd

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on premature infants. Improved survival rates in the NICU have led to an increase in the incidence of premature infants with inguinal hernias. The NICU nurse, often the first to notice an inguinal hernia in a premature infant, should understand the etiology, basic pathophysiology, and nursing care for this condition.

Preterm Birth | UCP

Late Preterm Infants, those born between 34 0/7 weeks and 36 6/7 weeks, often appear outwardly similar to and are treated like full term infants. However, research has shown that they often have some of the same medical issues as early preterm infants, including feeding issues, breathing issues and developmental delays. In an effort to create a better system of care for the late preterm infant, the Oklahoma Infant Alliance has created a toolkit for health care providers and families, so both can have a better understanding of the unique needs and issues of the Late Preterm Infant. For more information or to order full copies of the toolkit visit the Oklahoma Infant Alliance.. ...

The Effect of Family Participation on Mother's General Health and Length of Hospitalization of Premature Neonate

Background: Pressures arising from premature infant care specially hospitalized infant can affect infants quality of life and health by causing long term destructive effects on familys psychological and physical health. Aim:To investigate the effect of family participation on mothers general health and length of hospitalization of premature neonate. Methods: In this clinical trial 60 primiparous women and their premature infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units, were randomly allocated to family participation and control groups. In the experimental group, empowering family in order to particiapte in the infant fundamental care was implemented in the teaching and indepededant practicephases. Control group received routin care. Mothers general health was measured using Goldberg General Health questionnaire. Data were analyzed by independent t-test and Mann Whitney test using SPSS version 11/5 was done. Results: There was a significant difference between experimental group (21/18±8/95

Airway administration of corticosteroids for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants: a meta-analysis...

Uncertainly prevails with regard to the use of inhalation or instillation steroids to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants. The meta-analysis with sequential analysis was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of airway administration (inhalation or instillation) of corticosteroids for preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL from their inceptions to February 2017. All published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of airway administration of corticosteroids (AACs) vs placebo or systemic corticosteroid in prematurity were included. All meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3. Twenty five RCTs retrieved (n = 3249) were eligible for further analysis. Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis corrected the 95% confidence intervals estimated a lower risk of the primary outcome of BPD (relative risk 0.71, adjusted 95% confidence interval 0.57-0.87) and death or BPD

Retinal microvascular plasticity in a premature neonate - [email protected]

Dilation and abnormal tortuosity of retinal vessels are the hallmarks of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants. The stages of ROP are defined by vessel appearance at the interface between the vascular and avascular retinal areas. Deregulated signaling pathways involving hypoxia-inducible factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are involved in the pathogenesis of ROP. VEGF-antagonists are increasingly being used as off-label medication to treat this condition, with some success. We present Baby SM (female), who was born prematurely at 24 weeks gestation in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit, and with a birth weight of 640 g. On screening at 35 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA), she was noted to have ROP, which became severe by 37 weeks PMA. She received one dose of intravitreal VEGF antagonist (Bevacizumab), resulting in a decrease in vessel tortuosity and dilation. However, repeat imaging at 4 weeks showed a re-emergence of vessel tortuosity. We ...

Nutrient intakes independently affect growth in extremely preterm infants : results from a population-based study

Background Modern neonatal care has improved the survival rate of extremely preterm infants. These infants are at high risk of malnutrition and growth failure during 3-4 months of hospital care. The objectives of this study was to investigate nutritional intakes during hospitalization and explore associations between nutritional intakes, postnatal growth and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Perioperative nutrition in infants undergoing surgery for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was also investigated.. Methods This is a population-based study of Swedish extremely preterm infants (,27 weeks) born during 2004-2007 (n=602). Detailed data on nutritional supply and anthropometric measurements during hospitalization were retrospectively retrieved from hospital records. Comprehensive data on cohort characteristics, neonatal morbidity and infant mortality were obtained from the Extremely Preterm Infants in Sweden Study (EXPRESS).. Results During the first 70 days of life, intakes of energy, protein and ...

Baroreflex sensitivity in premature infants - relation to the parameters characterizing intrauterine and postnatal condition. |...

At present, there are insufficient information about baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and factors that determine BRS in premature newborns. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between BRS and the characteristics that reflecting the intrauterine development (gestational age and birth weight), as well as postnatal development (postconception age and the actual weight of the child at the time of measurement). We examined 57 premature infants, who were divided into groups according to gestational age and postconception age as well as birth weight, and weight at the time of measurement. Continuous and noninvasive registration of peripheral blood pressure (BP) was performed in every child within 2-5 min under standard conditions using a Portapres (FMS) device. The results showed a close correlation of baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate and respiratory rate with gestational age, postconception age, birth weight and actual weight at the time of measurement premature newborns. An ...

Ventriculosubgaleal shunt in the treatment of posthemorrhagic and postinfectious hydrocephalus of premature infants<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Ventriculosubgaleal shunt in the treatment of posthemorrhagic and postinfectious hydrocephalus of premature infants. AU - Nagy, Andrea. AU - Bognar, Laszlo. AU - Pataki, Istvan. AU - Barta, Zoltan. AU - Novak, Laszlo. PY - 2013/1/1. Y1 - 2013/1/1. N2 - Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the characteristics of ventriculosubgaleal shunts during the clinical course of posthemorrhagic and postinfectious hydrocephalus in the neonatal period. Patients and methods: The study comprised 102 premature babies in whom subgaleal shunt was consecutively inserted between 2006 and 2011. Seventy-two patients had posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (mean gestational age 27.3 ± 2.1 weeks, mean birth weight 1,036.9 ± 327.7 g, mean age at insertion 51.4 ± 56.2 days) and 30 patients were operated postinfectiously (27.5 ± 2.2 weeks, 1,064.7 g ± 310.7 g, 115.9 ± 47.8 days). Results: The mean survival of subgaleal shunts was 87.9 days for the posthemorrhagic group and 75.6 days for the ...

Cytomegalovirus in Human Breast Milk: Risk to the Premature Infant | Szoptatás Portál

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can be transmitted through breast milk to neonates. Although healthy full-term infants rarely develop symptoms of CMV infection; premature or low-birth-weight infants can experience symptomatic infection that is occasionally severe. There is limited information on the long-term effects of postnatal CMV infection in premature infants, suggesting that these infants do not develop cognitive function delays or hearing loss, although those with intrapartum infection do. Readily available methods of treating breast milk to inactivate the CMV either diminish the immunologic and nutritive benefits of breast milk or incompletely inactivate the virus ...

Haemoglobin level at birth is associated with short term outcomes and mortality in preterm infants | BMC Medicine | Full Text

Blood volume and haemoglobin (Hb) levels are increased by delayed umbilical cord clamping, which has been reported to improve clinical outcomes of preterm infants. The objective was to determine whether Hb level at birth was associated with short term outcomes in preterm infants born at ≤32 weeks gestation. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic records: Standardised Electronic Neonatal Database, Electronic Patient Record, Pathology (WinPath), and Blood Bank Electronic Database. The study was conducted in a tertiary perinatal centre with around 5,500 deliveries and a neonatal unit admission of 750 infants per year. All inborn preterm infants of 23 to 32 weeks gestational age (GA) admitted to the neonatal unit from January 2006 to September 2012 were included. The primary outcomes were intra-ventricular haemorrhage, necrotising entero-colitis, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, and death before discharge. The secondary outcomes were receiving blood transfusion and

Late preterm birth is a risk factor for growth faltering in early childhood: a cohort study | BMC Pediatrics | Full Text

This study evaluated the consequences of late preterm birth on child growth in the first two years of life as compared to term deliveries in a population-based cohort from a middle-income country. Among the strengths of the study, besides sample size, are the low rates of refusal and loss to follow-up, and the prospective cohort design that allows assessment of temporal relationships.. A key limitation of the study is that most of the confounders studied were self-reported by mothers. Furthermore, in the analyses of late preterm birth and wasting at 12 and 24 months of age, the low number of children born late preterm that were wasted resulted in reduced precision.. Some methodological issues of this study are worthy of being discussed. First, some of the increase in morbidity among late preterm children may be attributable to observation and detection bias, because mothers and medical doctors may be more attentive to monitor symptoms and signs of medical complications and diseases in preterm ...

Lung and brain damage in preterm newborns, and their association ...: Ingenta Connect

Compared with those born at term, preterm newborns are at an increased risk of short term disorders of the lung (bronchopulmonary dysplasia; BPD) and the brain (white matter damage; WMD), and of long term developmental and pulmonary dysfunctions. Although all of these adverse outcomes are associated with low gestational age, brain, but not lung, damage appears to be associated with the prematurity subgroup [spontaneous preterm labour and/or preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) vs pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)]. Part of the association between brain damage and prematurity subgroup might be due to a differential exposure of members of these subgroups to perinatal infection/inflammation. There is a lack of studies evaluating the association of antenatal and perinatal risk factors with late childhood pulmonary dysfunction among those born during the second trimester. In this paper we discuss the complexities that paediatricians, perinatologists and perinatal epidemiologists face as ...

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibition enhances myelination in preterm newborns with intraventricular hemorrhage, but not...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibition enhances myelination in preterm newborns with intraventricular hemorrhage, but not recombinant Wnt3A. AU - Dohare, Preeti. AU - Cheng, Bokun. AU - Ahmed, Ehsan. AU - Yadala, Vivek. AU - Singla, Pranav. AU - Thomas, Sunisha. AU - Kayton, Robert. AU - Ungvari, Zoltan. AU - Ballabh, Praveen. PY - 2018/10. Y1 - 2018/10. N2 - Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm infants results in reduced proliferation and maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), and survivors exhibit reduced myelination and neurological deficits. Wnt signaling regulates OPC maturation and myelination in a context dependent manner. Herein, we hypothesized that the occurrence of IVH would downregulate Wnt signaling, and that activating Wnt signaling by GSK-3β inhibition or Wnt3A recombinant human protein (rh-Wnt3A) treatment might promote maturation of OPCs, myelination of the white matter, and neurological recovery in premature rabbits with IVH. These ...

Structured observation of motor performance (SOMP-1) applied to preterm and full term infants who needed neonatal intensive...

Structured observation of motor performance (SOMP-1) applied to preterm and full term infants who needed neonatal intensive care. A cross-sectional analysis of progress and quality of motor performanc ...

Short-term Outcomes of Preterm Infants in a Medical Center at Banyumas Regency, Indonesia: A Preliminary Study | Babali...

Introduction: Short-term outcomes of preterm infants refers to any preterm infants conditions after birth including medical diagnosis or morbidity, length of stay at the hospital, and readmission to hospital after discharge. A high number of preterm births were identified as the major case in the year of 2015 in a medical center at Banyumas Regency, Indonesia. However, limited evidence showed the preterm infants short-term outcomes in this medical center. This study was intended to investigate the short-term outcomes of preterm infants in a medical center, Banyumas Regency, Indonesia. ...

Premature Babies Harbor Fewer, But More Dangerous Microbe Types - Healthcanal.com : Healthcanal.com

Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center and Nicholas School of the Environment looked at the microbes in 11 premature infants and found much less diversity than in full-term infants.. "The babies guts were taken over by microbes we know are dangerous if they get into the blood," said senior author Patrick Seed, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke. "Even after the babies were no longer on antibiotics, healthier bacteria didnt appear in the babies very quickly. This may be one reason why premature babies are so vulnerable to infections.". All of the premature children were placed on antibiotic treatments after birth, which would wipe out some types of bacteria and yeast, but once they were off the antibiotics and taking food, the researchers expected to see more diversity of bacteria in the babies developing digestive systems than they found.. The findings were published in PLoS One open-access journal on December 8, 2011.. Five infants had blood infections while three ...

Preterm infants' sympathetic arousal and associated behavioral responses to sound stimuli in the neonatal intensive care unit<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Preterm infants sympathetic arousal and associated behavioral responses to sound stimuli in the neonatal intensive care unit. AU - Salavitabar, Arash. AU - Doheny, Kim Kopenhaver. AU - Adkins, Cherie S.. AU - Susman, Elizabeth J.. AU - Palmer, Charles. AU - Storm, Hanne. PY - 2010/1/1. Y1 - 2010/1/1. N2 - PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of skin conductance (SC) as a measure of autonomic arousal to sound stimuli in preterm infants. DESIGN: A pilot cross-sectional, correlations study. SUBJECTS: Eleven preterm infants with a mean gestational age of 31.6 weeks without anomalies or conditions associated with neurodevelopmental delay composed the sample. METHODS: On days 5-7 of life, the following infant responses were simultaneously recorded in response to naturally occurring sound stimuli in the NICU: real-time measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturations; sympathetic-mediated sweating via SC; and behavioral responses using the Newborn Individualized ...

Heparin therapy: A potential risk factor for fractures in preterm neonates | The Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Abstract. The majority of bone mineralization occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy and preterm infants are likely to have depleted stores. This puts them at greater risk of fractures. Heparin has been shown to cause osteopenia in adults though fractures are uncommon. There are no data that suggest an association between heparin and fractures in preterm neonates. This report presents the case of a preterm infant who was treated with unfractionated heparin for 3 weeks for an arterial thrombus. Post heparin X-rays demonstrated multiple fractures which did not exist prior to therapy. The temporal association between heparin therapy and fractures suggests that the combination of dose and duration of therapy is a potential risk factor. In preterm infants with already depleted bone mineral content, this could be an important therapeutic consideration.. ...

Frontiers | Inflammatory Mediators in Tracheal Aspirates of Preterm Infants Participating in a Randomized Trial of Permissive...

BackgroundVentilator-induced lung injury is considered to be a main factor in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Optimizing ventilator strategies may reduce respiratory morbidities in preterm infants. Permissive hypercapnia has been suggested to attenuate lung injury. We aimed to determine if a higher PCO2 target range results in less lung injury compared to the control target range and possibly reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines and acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) in tracheal aspirates (TA), which has not been addressed before.MethodsDuring a multicenter trial of permissive hypercapnia in extremely low birthweight infants (PHELBI), preterm infants (birthweight 400-1,000 g, gestational age 23 0/7-28 6/7 weeks) requiring mechanical ventilation within 24 h of birth were randomly assigned to a high PCO2 target or a control group. The high target group aimed at PCO2 values of 55-65, 60-70, and 65-75 mmHg and the control group at PCO2 values of 40-50, 45-55 and 50-60 mmHg on postnatal days 1-3

Auditory Exposure in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Room Type and Other Predictors<...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Auditory Exposure in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. T2 - Room Type and Other Predictors. AU - Pineda, Roberta. AU - Durant, Polly. AU - Mathur, Amit. AU - Inder, Terrie. AU - Wallendorf, Michael. AU - Schlaggar, Bradley L.. PY - 2017/4/1. Y1 - 2017/4/1. N2 - Objective To quantify early auditory exposures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and evaluate how these are related to medical and environmental factors. We hypothesized that there would be less auditory exposure in the NICU private room, compared with the open ward. Study design Preterm infants born at ≤ 28 weeks gestation (33 in the open ward, 25 in private rooms) had auditory exposure quantified at birth, 30 and 34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA), and term equivalent age using the Language Environmental Acquisition device. Results Meaningful language (P , .0001), the number of adult words (P , .0001), and electronic noise (P , .0001) increased across PMA. Silence increased (P = .0007) and noise decreased (P , ...

Inserm - Intensity of perinatal care for extremely preterm babies and outcomes at a higher gestational age: evidence from the...

BACKGROUND: Perinatal decision-making affects outcomes for extremely preterm babies (22-26 weeks gestational age (GA)): more active units have improved survival without increased morbidity. We hypothesised such units may gain skills and expertise meaning babies at higher gestational ages have better outcomes than if they were born elsewhere. We examined mortality and morbidity outcomes at age two for babies born at 27-28 weeks GA in relation to the intensity of perinatal care provided to extremely preterm babies. METHODS: Fetuses from the 2011 French national prospective EPIPAGE-2 cohort, alive at maternal admission to a level 3 hospital and delivered at 27-28 weeks GA, were included. Morbidity-free survival (survival without sensorimotor (blindness, deafness or cerebral palsy) disability) and overall survival at age two were examined. Sensorimotor disability and Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) result below threshold among survivors were secondary outcomes. Perinatal care intensity level