Respiratory tract outbreak modeling with case definition criteria: A proposal for a standardized clinical approach in nursing homes.

Objectives: This study aimed to monitor respiratory tract outbreaks in nursing homes (NH) by applying standardized case definition criteria, pathogen identification and estimated mortality impact.

Patients And Methods: This longitudinal, observational study described NH outbreaks with temperature (T°), upper respiratory sign, lower respiratory sign (LRS), general status deterioration, general signs, and mortality. Viral examinations allowed for analysis of developing outbreaks based on positive, negative, or no tests (Flu+/Flu-/NT-Flu).

[How do mothers experience skin contact with their very immature (gestational age 27-30 weeks), only days old premature infants?].

Background: Mothers are offered skin-to-skin contact with their preterm infants with the intention to promote bonding. But it is not known if the mother of a very immature fragile infant perceives skin-to-skin contact as a helpful intervention or a stressful situation.

Patients And Methods: Mothers of singleton preterm infants (gestational age 27-30 weeks) began skin-to-skin contact as soon as the infant was breathing spontaneously.

Effects of gestational and postnatal age on body temperature, oxygen consumption, and activity during early skin-to-skin contact between preterm infants of 25-30-week gestation and their mothers.

Temporary skin-to-skin contact between preterm infant and the mother is increasingly used in neonatal medicine to promote bonding. It is not known at which gestational age (GA) and postnatal age skin-to-skin contact outside the incubator is a sufficiently warm environment and is tolerated by preterm infants without a decrease in body temperature, oxygen consumption (VO2) increase, or unrest. We conducted a prospective clinical study of 27 spontaneously breathing preterm infants of 25-30-wk GA.

Body temperatures and oxygen consumption during skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care in stable preterm infants weighing less than 1500 grams.

Background: More and progressively smaller preterm infants are taken out of the incubator and placed skin to skin on their mother's chest to promote bonding, despite concerns that the infants are exposed to cold during this intervention.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that skin-to-skin care is a cold stress for preterm infants weighing less than 1500 gm, with a decrease in rectal temperature, a decrease in peripheral skin temperature, or an increase in oxygen consumption compared with conditions monitored during incubator care.

Study Design: We studied 22 stable, spontaneously breathing preterm infants weighing less than 1500 gm (appropriate in size for gestational age), who had their first skin-to-skin care in the first week of life.

Comparison of face mask, head hood, and canopy for breath sampling in flow-through indirect calorimetry to measure oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production of preterm infants < 1500 grams.

Complete sampling of expired air is essential for accurate O2 consumption(CO2 production) [VO2(VCO2)] measurements with flow-through indirect calorimetry. In preterm infants complete sampling is critical, because only low sampling flows can be used. The accuracy of the various breath sampling systems at low flows and their patient compatibility is untested.