Randomized controlled trial of the "WISER" intervention to reduce healthcare worker burnout.

Objective: Test web-based implementation for the science of enhancing resilience (WISER) intervention efficacy in reducing healthcare worker (HCW) burnout.

Design: RCT using two cohorts of HCWs of four NICUs each, to improve HCW well-being (primary outcome: burnout). Cohort 1 received WISER while Cohort 2 acted as a waitlist control.

Hypothermia and neonatal encephalopathy.

Data from large randomized clinical trials indicate that therapeutic hypothermia, using either selective head cooling or systemic cooling, is an effective therapy for neonatal encephalopathy. Infants selected for cooling must meet the criteria outlined in published clinical trials. The implementation of cooling needs to be performed at centers that have the capability to manage medically complex infants.

Death or neurodevelopmental impairment at 18 to 22 months corrected age in a randomized trial of early dexamethasone to prevent death or chronic lung disease in extremely low birth weight infants.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-22 months corrected age in subjects enrolled in a trial of early dexamethasone treatment to prevent death or chronic lung disease in extremely low birth weight infants.

Study Design: Evaluation of infants at 18-22 months corrected age included anthropomorphic measurements, a standard neurological examination, and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, including the Mental Developmental Index and the Psychomotor Developmental Index. NDI was defined as moderate or severe cerebral palsy, Mental Developmental Index or Psychomotor Developmental Index <70, blindness, or hearing impairment.

An intervention to improve transitions from NICU to ambulatory care: quasi-experimental study.

Background: Infants born prematurely or with complex medical problems are surviving to discharge in growing numbers and often require significant monitoring and coordination of care in the ambulatory setting. Using Healthcare Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HFMEA), we identified a large number of potentially serious error points in this transition of care. PURPOSE To test whether a multifaceted intervention that included a health coach to assist families and an enhanced personal health record to improve the quality of information available to parents and community professionals would decrease adverse events and improve family assessment of the transition.

Childhood outcomes after hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy.

Background: We previously reported early results of a randomized trial of whole-body hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy showing a significant reduction in the rate of death or moderate or severe disability at 18 to 22 months of age. Long-term outcomes are now available.

Methods: In the original trial, we assigned infants with moderate or severe encephalopathy to usual care (the control group) or whole-body cooling to an esophageal temperature of 33.

Executive summary of the workshop "Nutritional Challenges in the High Risk Infant".

In 2009, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invited an expert panel to a workshop to address the current knowledge gaps and lack of evidence-based guidelines that preclude optimal nutritional care for infants in neonatal intensive care units. Since much research needs to be done in this complex area of science, the group was requested to propose new research to rectify current deficiencies in this field. This paper provides a summary of the workshop presentations and discussions.

Cytokines and neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely low birth weight infants.

Objective: To determine if selected pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and/or mediators of inflammation reported to be related to the development of cerebral palsy (CP) predict neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely low birth weight infants.

Study Design: Infants with birth weights ≤1000 g (n = 1067) had blood samples collected at birth and on days 3 ± 1, 7 ± 1, 14 ± 3, and 21 ± 3 to examine the association between cytokines and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The analyses were focused on 5 cytokines (interleukin [IL] 1β; IL-8; tumor necrosis factor-α; regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted (RANTES); and IL-2) reported to be most predictive of CP in term and late preterm infants.

Clinical benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of neonatal intensive care in Mexico.

Background: Neonatal intensive care improves survival, but is associated with high costs and disability amongst survivors. Recent health reform in Mexico launched a new subsidized insurance program, necessitating informed choices on the different interventions that might be covered by the program, including neonatal intensive care. The purpose of this study was to estimate the clinical outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness of neonatal intensive care in Mexico.

Trends in neonatal morbidity and mortality for very low birthweight infants.

Objective: To document the mortality and morbidity of infants weighing 501-1500 g at birth according to gestational age, birthweight, and sex.

Study Design: Prospective collection of perinatal events and neonatal course to 120 days of life, discharge, or death from January 1990 through December 2002 for infants born at 16 participating centers of the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development Neonatal Research Network.

Results: Compared with 1995-1996, for 1997-2002 the survival of infants with birthweight of 501-1500 g increased by 1 percentage point (from 84% to 85%).

Emotional regulation and its impact on development in extremely low birth weight infants.

The purposes of this study were to compare the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) scores at 8 and 18-22 months adjusted age of a cohort of 47 extremely low birth weight infants and to determine whether there was an association between changes in test scores and infant behavior as measured by the Behavioral Rating Scale of the BSID-II at 18-22 months adjusted age. Psychomotor Developmental Index scores did not differ between the two testing points (p = .17), whereas the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) scores dropped significantly (p = .

Outcome of very low birth weight infants exposed to antenatal indomethacin for tocolysis.

Objective: Beginning in October 1995, and for several years thereafter, our institution used indomethacin as a first-line tocolytic drug. Our purpose is to compare the outcomes of very low birth weight infants who were exposed to antenatal indomethacin with those who were not exposed to this therapy.

Study Design: We used our center's component of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network's Generic Data Base which recorded the outcomes of all live born infants weighing less than 1500 g over a 5-year period.

Neurodevelopmental outcome and growth at 18 to 22 months' corrected age in extremely low birth weight infants treated with early erythropoietin and iron.

Background: Clinical trials evaluating the use of erythropoietin (Epo) have demonstrated a limited reduction in transfusions; however, long-term developmental follow-up data are scarce.

Objective: We compared anthropometric measurements, postdischarge events, need for transfusions, and developmental outcomes at 18 to 22 months' corrected age in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants treated with early Epo and supplemental iron therapy with that of placebo/control infants treated with supplemental iron alone.

Methods: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network completed a randomized, controlled trial of early Epo and iron therapy in preterm infants < or =1250 g.

Parenteral glutamine supplementation does not reduce the risk of mortality or late-onset sepsis in extremely low birth weight infants.

Background: Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in both plasma and human milk, yet it is not included in standard intravenous amino acid solutions. Previous studies have suggested that parenteral nutrition (PN) supplemented with glutamine may reduce sepsis and mortality in critically ill adults. Whether glutamine supplementation would provide a similar benefit to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants is not known.

To tap or not to tap: high likelihood of meningitis without sepsis among very low birth weight infants.

Context: Neonatal meningitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We speculated that meningitis may be underdiagnosed among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants because of the failure to perform lumbar punctures (LPs) in infants with suspected sepsis.

Objective: This study was undertaken to review the epidemiology of late-onset meningitis in VLBW (401-1500 g) infants and to evaluate the concordance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood culture (BC) results.

Effect of parenteral glutamine supplementation on plasma amino acid concentrations in extremely low-birth-weight infants.

Background: Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in both plasma and human milk and may be conditionally essential in premature infants. However, glutamine is not provided by standard intravenous amino acid solutions.

Objective: We assessed the effect of parenteral glutamine supplementation on plasma amino acid concentrations in extremely low-birth-weight infants receiving parenteral nutrition (PN).

Minimal ventilation to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely-low-birth-weight infants.

Objective: To determine whether minimal ventilation decreases death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Study Design: Infants with birth weight 501 g to 1000 g 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.

Whole-body hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy: animal observations as a basis for a randomized, controlled pilot study in term infants.

Objective: Modest reduction in brain temperature is a promising therapy to reduce brain damage after neonatal encephalopathy as a result of acute perinatal asphyxia. The efficacy of modest hypothermia may in part be dependent on the stability of the desired brain temperature. The objective of this study was 1) to evaluate in newborn animals a commercially available cooling system (Blanketrol II Hyperthermia-Hypothermia system) to control brain temperature during whole-body hypothermia and 2) to use the results of the animal experiments to perform a pilot study evaluating the feasibility of whole-body hypothermia as a neuroprotective therapy for newborns with encephalopathy at birth.

Late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates: the experience of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network.

Objective: Late-onset sepsis (occurring after 3 days of age) is an important problem in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. To determine the current incidence of late-onset sepsis, risk factors for disease, and the impact of late-onset sepsis on subsequent hospital course, we evaluated a cohort of 6956 VLBW (401-1500 g) neonates admitted to the clinical centers of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network over a 2-year period (1998-2000).

Methods: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network maintains a prospective registry of all VLBW neonates admitted to participating centers within 14 days of birth.

Changes in pathogens causing early-onset sepsis in very-low-birth-weight infants.

Background: It is uncertain whether the rates and causes of early-onset sepsis (that occurring within 72 hours after birth) among very-low-birth-weight infants have changed in recent years, since antibiotics have begun to be used more widely during labor and delivery.

Methods: We studied 5447 very-low-birth-weight infants (those weighing between 401 and 1500 g) born at centers of the Neonatal Research Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development between 1998 and 2000 who had at least one blood culture in the first three days of life and compared them with 7606 very-low-birth-weight infants born at centers in the network between 1991 and 1993.

Results: Early-onset sepsis (as confirmed by positive blood cultures) was present in 84 infants in the more recent birth cohort (1.

Neurodevelopmental outcome of premature infants after antenatal phenobarbital exposure.

Objective: We previously demonstrated that antenatal phenobarbital does not decrease the risk of intracranial hemorrhage or early death in premature infants. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of antenatal phenobarbital exposure on the neurodevelopmental outcome of premature infants born to women who were participating in the randomized clinical trial of antenatal phenobarbital exposure.

Study Design: Infants were evaluated at 18 to 22 months corrected age with a standard neurologic examination and the Bayley scales of infant development measuring the mental developmental index and the psychomotor developmental index.

Risk factors for early death among extremely low-birth-weight infants.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to compare the clinical characteristics of extremely low birth-weight infants (501-1000 g birth weight) who die early (<12 hours of age) with those of infants who die >12 hours after birth and infants who survive to neonatal intensive care unit discharge and to develop a model of risk for early death.

Study Design: Perinatal data were prospectively collected on 5986 infants in the 12 participating centers of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network from March 1993 through December 1997. Maternal and neonatal characteristics of infants who died early were compared with infants who survived and infants who died beyond 12 hours of age.