Esophageal atresia with distal fistula - unusual case series. Considerations related to epidemiological aspects, malformative associations, and prenatal diagnosis.

Background: Esophageal atresia (EA) is the most frequent and severe congenital anomaly of the esophagus, occurring in 1:2500-1:4500 live births. Five types of EA have been described, EA with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) being the most frequent.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to evaluate epidemiological aspects, malformative associations, and prenatal diagnosis in an unusual case series of EA with distal TEF.

Persistent Ductus Arteriosus in Critically Ill Preterm Infants.

Introduction: Persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is found with increased incidence in preterm infants, significantly affecting neonatal morbidity and mortality rates.

Aim: To evaluate the association between the presence of PDA and the severity of clinical condition at birth in critically ill preterm infants, with gestational ages (GA) ≤ 32 weeks and severe respiratory distress.

Methods: All preterm infants with GA ≤ 32 weeks admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Clinical County Emergency Hospital, Sibiu between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 were included in the study.

Intubation-Surfactant: Extubation on Continuous Positive Pressure Ventilation. Who are the Best Candidates?

Introduction: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) continues to be the leading cause of illness and death in preterm infants. Studies indicate that INSURE strategy (INtubate-SURfactant administration and Extubate to nasal continuous positive airway pressure [nCPAP]) is better than mechanical ventilation (MV) with rescue surfactant, for the management of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates, as it has a synergistic effect on alveolar stability.

Aim Of The Study: To identify the factors associated with INSURE strategy failure in preterm infants with gestational age (GA) ≤ 32 weeks.