Neonatal jaundice: phototherapy.

Introduction: About 50% of term and 80% of preterm babies develop jaundice, which usually appears 2 to 4 days after birth, and resolves spontaneously after 1 to 2 weeks. Jaundice is caused by bilirubin deposition in the skin. Most jaundice in newborn infants is a result of increased red cell breakdown and decreased bilirubin excretion.

Neonatal infections: group B streptococcus.

Introduction: One in four women carry group B streptococci vaginally, which can infect the amniotic fluid before delivery or can infect the baby during delivery, causing sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis. Very low-birthweight infants are at much higher risk of infection or mortality, with up to 3% infected and mortality rates of up to 30%, even with immediate antibiotic treatment. Late-onset group B streptococcal infection begins from 7 days of age, and usually causes fever or meningitis, but is less often fatal compared with early infection.

Neonatal jaundice.

Introduction: About 50% of term and 80% of preterm babies develop jaundice, which usually appears 2 to 4 days after birth, and resolves spontaneously after 1 to 2 weeks. Jaundice is caused by bilirubin deposition in the skin. Most jaundice in newborn infants is a result of increased red cell breakdown and decreased bilirubin excretion.

Neonatal infections: group B streptococcus.

Introduction: One in four women carry group B streptococci vaginally, which can infect the amniotic fluid even if the membranes are intact, or can infect the baby during delivery, causing sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis. Very-low-birthweight infants are at much higher risk of infection or mortality, with up to 3% infected, and mortality rates of up to 30% even with immediate antibiotic treatment. Late-onset group B streptococcal infection begins after 7 to 9 days, and usually causes fever or meningitis, but is less often fatal compared with early infection.

Neonatal blood cultures: effect of delayed entry into the blood culture machine and bacterial concentration on the time to positive growth in a simulated model.

Aims: To determine if: time from blood culture inoculation to positive growth (total time to positive) and time from blood culture machine entry to positive growth (machine time to positive) is altered by delayed entry into the automated blood culture machine, and if the total time to positive differs by the concentration of organisms inoculated into blood culture bottles.

Methods: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and group B beta-haemolytic streptococci were chosen as clinically significant representative organisms. Two concentrations (> or =10 colony-forming units per millilitre and <1 colony-forming units per millilitre) were inoculated into PEDS BacT/Alert blood culture bottles and randomly allocated to one of three delayed automated blood culture machine entry times (30 min/8.

An experimental model for the measurement of inspired gas temperatures in ventilated neonates.

Objective: To determine the inspired gas temperature at points from the endo-tracheal tube (ETT) circuit manifold to the tip of the ETT in a model neonatal lung.

Design: A model lung attached to standard ventilator circuit, autofeed chamber and humidifier was ventilated using typical pressure-limited, time cycled settings. Temperatures were measured at various distances along the ETT using a K-type thermocouple temperature probe.