Neonatology
-
The amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) is feasible for monitoring cerebral activity in preterm infants. However, quantitative data on normal patterns in these infants are limited. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first study where aEEG development was studied by automated quantification of aEEG characteristics in a cohort of stable preterm infants with a normal neurological development at 1 year of age. LMA and DC-% are simple quantitative measures of neurophysiologic development and may be used to evaluate neurodevelopment in infants.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Probiotics reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants: a meta-analysis.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common serious acquired disease of the gastrointestinal tract in preterm infants. Probiotic bacteria are live microbial supplements that colonize the gastrointestinal tract and potentially provide benefit to the host. ⋯ Enteral supplementation of probiotics reduces the risk of severe NEC and mortality in preterm infants. A large randomized controlled trial is required to investigate the benefit and safety profile of probiotics supplementation in ELBW infants.
-
Early identification and prevention of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns may reduce neonatal mortality and neurological dysfunction. ⋯ These data suggest that early measurement of both S100B level and lactate/creatinine ratio in the urine of newborns with HIE is a practical convenient and sensitive way to improve diagnosis on the third day of life and prognostic prediction of HIE.
-
Hyperlactatemia in neonates admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit with critical heart disease.
Neonates with critical heart disease are at risk of significant deficiencies in systemic oxygen delivery. The incidence and clinical pattern of hyperlactatemia in neonates presenting with critical heart disease has not been described. We reviewed the lactate pattern of neonates transferred to our cardiac intensive care unit for surgical management of their heart disease over a 1-year period. ⋯ Hyperlactatemia is frequently present in neonates admitted to a tertiary care center for management of congenital heart disease. Blood lactate levels normalize within 36 h. The presence of preoperative hyperlactatemia, even when moderate-to-severe, does not have significant adverse effect on postoperative mortality.
-
It remains a great challenge to measure systemic blood flow in critically ill newborns. In a former study we validated the modified carbon dioxide Fick (mCO(2)F) method for measurement of cardiac output in a newborn lamb model. In this new study we studied the influence of a left-to-right shunt on the accuracy of the mCO(2)F method. ⋯ Cardiac output measurement with the mCO(2)F method is reliable and easily applicable in ventilated newborn lambs, also in the presence of a significant left-to-right shunt.