Adverse events associated with umbilical vascular catheters in neonatal intensive care: Development of a risk prediction model.

Background: Adverse events associated with umbilical vascular catheters occur frequently in the neonatal intensive care unit. International guidelines recommend limiting catheter dwell time to reduce the risk of adverse events, and this drives clinical decision-making regarding catheter removal, yet other risk factors may also influence the risk of adverse events.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a clinically useful risk prediction model that could be utilised in the neonatal intensive care unit to identify infants at a greater risk of developing an adverse event associated with umbilical vascular catheters.

Adverse events associated with umbilical vascular catheters in the neonatal intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Umbilical catheters are commonly inserted in newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) yet are associated with serious adverse events (AEs) such as malposition, migration, infection, thrombosis, hepatic complications, cardiac effusion, and cardiac tamponade. There is a need to determine the incidence and risk factors for AEs to inform safe practice.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors for AEs (all-cause and individual types) associated with umbilical venous catheters (UVCs) and umbilical arterial catheters (UACs) in the NICU.

Experience of sudden sensorineural hearing loss following a mild COVID-19 infection.

A woman in her 30s was referred to an otolaryngologist with an acute onset of aural fullness, noise sensitivity, unilateral sudden onset hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus. She had a confirmed COVID-19 infection 5 weeks prior. A pure tone audiogram confirmed sensorineural hearing loss.

Developmental pharmacokinetics of indomethacin in preterm neonates: Severely decreased drug clearance in the first week of life.

Indomethacin is used commonly in preterm neonates for the prevention of intracranial hemorrhage and closure of an abnormally open cardiac vessel. Due to biomedical advances, the infants who receive this drug in the neonatal intensive care unit setting have become younger, smaller, and less mature (more preterm) at the time of treatment. To develop a pharmacokinetics (PK) model to aid future dosing, we designed a prospective cohort study to characterize indomethacin PK in a dynamically changing patient population.

Simultaneous quantification of trimethoprim metabolites in pediatric plasma.

The dual agent antibiotic, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), has been prescribed to treat or prevent infections for over 50 years. However, there are no published validated analytical methods for the measurement of TMP metabolites in humans. We developed methodology enabling reliable quantification of TMP and 5 metabolites in human plasma.

Non-Contact Automatic Vital Signs Monitoring of Infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Based on Neural Networks.

Infants with fragile skin are patients who would benefit from non-contact vital sign monitoring due to the avoidance of potentially harmful adhesive electrodes and cables. Non-contact vital signs monitoring has been studied in clinical settings in recent decades. However, studies on infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are still limited.

Risk factors for umbilical vascular catheter-related adverse events: A scoping review.

Introduction: Adverse events associated with umbilical catheters include malposition, bloodstream infections, thrombosis, tip migration, and extravasation, resulting in loss of vascular access and increased risk of morbidity and mortality. There is a need for greater understanding of risk factors associated with adverse events to inform safe practice.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to summarise the existing evidence regarding risk factors for umbilical catheter-related adverse events to inform the undertaking of future research.

Nurse-initiated protocols in the emergency department management of pediatric oncology patients with fever and suspected neutropenia: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the existing evidence regarding nurse-initiated protocols in the emergency department management of pediatric oncology patients with fever and suspected neutropenia.

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia in pediatric oncology patients poses a significant burden of increased morbidity and mortality. Prompt, efficient emergency care and rapid antibiotic administration within 60 minutes of presentation to hospital is required to prevent clinical deterioration and reduce rates of intensive care admission and mortality.

Noncontact Heart and Respiratory Rate Monitoring of Preterm Infants Based on a Computer Vision System: Protocol for a Method Comparison Study.

Background: Biomedical research in the application of noncontact methods to measure heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) in the neonatal population has produced mixed results. This paper describes and discusses a protocol for conducting a method comparison study, which aims to determine the accuracy of a proposed noncontact computer vision system to detect HR and RR relative to the HR and RR obtained by 3-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in preterm infants in the neonatal unit.

Objective: The aim of this preliminary study is to determine the accuracy of a proposed noncontact computer vision system to detect HR and RR relative to the HR and RR obtained by 3-lead ECG in preterm infants in the neonatal unit.

Non-contact heart and respiratory rate monitoring of preterm infants based on a computer vision system: a method comparison study.

Background: Non-contact heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) monitoring is necessary for preterm infants due to the potential for the adhesive electrodes of conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) to cause damage to the epidermis. This study was performed to evaluate the agreement between HR and RR measurements of preterm infants using a non-contact computer vision system with comparison to measurements obtained by the ECG.

Methods: A single-centre, cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a Neonatal Unit.

Nurses Providing End-of-Life Care for Infants and Their Families in the NICU: A Review of the Literature.

Background: Nurses working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) who care for dying infants and their families say they do not necessarily have the expertise or the specific training to provide quality end-of-life-care (EOLC).

Purpose: The purpose of this review was to critically appraise the existing qualitative literature regarding nurses' experiences when caring for infants during end of life in the NICU and to identify barriers and enablers to provide quality EOLC.

Search Strategy: A literature search was conducted using CINAHL and OVID databases.

Remote sensing of physiological signs using a machine vision system.

The aim of this work is to remotely measure heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) using a video camera from long range (> 50 m). The proposed system is based on imperceptible signals produced from blood circulation, including skin colour variations and head motion. As these signals are not visible to the naked eye and to preserve the signal strength in the video, we used an improved video magnification technique to enhance these invisible signals and detect the physiological activity within the subject.

Real Time Apnoea Monitoring of Children Using the Microsoft Kinect Sensor: A Pilot Study.

The objective of this study was to design a non-invasive system for the observation of respiratory rates and detection of apnoea using analysis of real time image sequences captured in any given sleep position and under any light conditions (even in dark environments). A Microsoft Kinect sensor was used to visualize the variations in the thorax and abdomen from the respiratory rhythm. These variations were magnified, analyzed and detected at a distance of 2.

Quantification of pravastatin acid, lactone and isomers in human plasma by UHPLC-MS/MS and its application to a pediatric pharmacokinetic study.

An ultra high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitation of pravastatin and major metabolites, 3'α-hydroxy-pravastatin, pravalactone and 3'α-hydroxy-pravalactone, in human plasma has been developed and validated. Aliquots of (100μL) plasma in EDTA were diluted in pH 4.5 (0.