Transpyloric Feeding is Associated With Improved Oxygenation Compared With Gastric Feeding Among Nonintubated Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

Objective: To study the impact of transpyloric (TP) feed initiation on short-term oxygenation and manual oxygen blender titration among extremely low birth weight infants.

Study Design: This retrospective study evaluated several measures of oxygenation among extremely low birth weight infants receiving positive pressure respiratory support for 96 hours before and after TP tube placement in a single neonatal intensive care unit during the years 2017- 2020. The measures included the achieved oxygen saturation (SpO), the baseline fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO), the SpO/FiO ratio, the number and severity of hypoxemic episodes and the frequency of manual oxygen titrations (titration index) and were analyzed using an interrupted time series regression approach.

Assessment of validity and utility of a bronchopulmonary dysplasia outcome estimator.

Objective: To assess the validity and utility of the bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) outcome estimator developed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Methods: This retrospective study correlated the BPD and mortality outcomes of 23-28-week prematurely born infants with those predicted by the 2022 NICHD BPD outcome estimator. In addition, evidence-based recommended postnatal steroid administration using risk predictions by the BPD estimator was compared with actual postnatal steroid use.

Oxygenation Factors Associated with Retinopathy of Prematurity in Infants of Extremely Low Birth Weight.

Objective: To study characteristics of oxygenation during the first 2 postnatal months and correlation with the occurrence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among infants of extremely low birth weight.

Study Design: This retrospective study analyzed the incidence and severity of hyperoxemia and hypoxemia while on respiratory support with or without supplemental oxygen among infants of extremely low birth weight (birth weight <1000 g) admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit during 2016-2020. The findings were correlated with the occurrence and severity of ROP after adjusting for baseline covariates.

Effect of a Novel Oxygen Saturation Targeting Strategy on Mortality, Retinopathy of Prematurity, and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Neonates Born Extremely Preterm.

Objective: To study the impact of an oxygen management strategy incorporating oxygen saturation (SpO) targeting and fraction of inspired oxygen monitoring on the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and mortality.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the incidence of any ROP, severe ROP, ROP requiring treatment (surgery and/or bevacizumab), BPD, and mortality among 23-28 weeks of gestational age infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in 3 epochs: Epoch 1 (2007-2010) before implementation of SpO histograms; Epoch 2 (2012-2014), with development of a software tool capable of generating automatic bedside SpO histograms; and Epoch 3 (2016-2019), with further software enhancements, incorporating simultaneous SpO and fraction of inspired oxygen measurements.

Results: During Epochs 1, 2, and 3, there were 601, 381, and 550 eligible infants, respectively, for a total of 1532 eligible infants.

Maternal cell microchimerism in newborn tissues.

Objectives: On the basis of reports of maternal cells being detected in the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants, we tested the hypothesis that maternal cells can migrate out of the circulation into newborn tissues.

Study Design: We studied autopsy material from 4 newborn infants who never received a blood transfusion and died during the first week of life. The study subjects' diagnoses were trisomy 21 with nonimmune hydrops, 46, XY, 4q+ with multiple congenital anomalies, Potter syndrome, and congenital ichthyosis.