Clustering of care activities for promoting development and preventing morbidity in hospitalized preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of clustering of care activities for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

Financial incentives for family members of hospitalized neonates for improving family presence.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the benefits and harms of financial incentives for improving family engagement on family members of neonates receiving hospitalized care.

Infant positioning for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of infant positioning, nesting, and swaddling for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

Methylxanthines for the prevention or treatment of intermittent hypoxemia or respiratory insufficiency in late preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of methylxanthines in preventing or treating intermittent hypoxemia or respiratory insufficiency in late preterm infants.

2024 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations: Summary From the Basic Life Support; Advanced Life Support; Pediatric Life Support; Neonatal Life Support; Education, Implementation, and Teams; and First Aid Task Forces.

This is the eighth annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations; a more comprehensive review was done in 2020. This latest summary addresses the most recent published resuscitation evidence reviewed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task force science experts. Members from 6 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the quality of the evidence, using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations.

Survival of Infants Born at 22 to 25 Weeks' Gestation Receiving Care in the NICU: 2020-2022.

Objective: To provide contemporary data on infants inborn at 22 to 25 weeks' gestation and receiving care at level 3 and 4 neonatal intensive care units in the United States.

Methods: Vermont Oxford Network members submitted data on infants born at 22 to 25 weeks' gestation at a hospital with a level 3 or 4 NICU from 2020 to 2022. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge.

Vestibular stimulation for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of vestibular stimulation compared to standard care or non-vestibular stimulation for physical and neurological development in preterm infants. To assess whether the effects of vestibular stimulation differ according to gestational age at birth; the type, frequency, and duration of the intervention; and settings, such as the country where the study is conducted.

Olfactory stimulation for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the benefits and harms of olfactory stimulation with different odorants in the NICU for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

Using a simplified Downes score to predict the receipt of surfactant in a highly resourced setting.

Objective: The Downes score is a neonatal examination scoring tool frequently used to guide initiation of CPAP, but its ability to predict the need for surfactant has not been assessed. We assessed the extent to which the Downes score predicts the receipt of surfactant.

Study Design: We calculated a simplified Downes score from nursing admission data for infants (≤ 2000 grams, and ≥ 25 weeks' gestation) admitted on CPAP to a highly resourced level III NICU, to assess the predictive value for the receipt of surfactant.

Transcatheter and Surgical Ductus Arteriosus Closure in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: 2018-2022.

Background And Objective: The optimal patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure method in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is uncertain. In 2019, the first transcatheter occlusion device was approved in the United States for infants ≥700 g. We described survival and short-term outcomes among VLBW infants who underwent transcatheter or surgical PDA closure (2018-2022).

Multisensory stimulation for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of multisensory stimulation compared to any single sensory intervention or standard care for physical and neurological development in preterm infants.

Quality Improvement Interventions to Prevent Intraventricular Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Quality improvement may reduce the incidence and severity of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants. We evaluated quality improvement interventions (QIIs) that sought to prevent or reduce the severity of intraventricular hemorrhage.

Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and citations of selected articles were searched.

Comparing Healthcare Needs in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants With NEC and Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) affect 6-8% of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. SIP has lower mortality than NEC, but with similar short-term morbidity in length of stay, growth failure, and supplemental oxygen requirements. Comparative long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes have not been clarified.

Predictors of Mortality in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Background: Limited data exists regarding the mortality of very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This study aims to quantify and determine predictors of mortality in VLBW neonates with CDH.

Methods: This analysis of 829 U.

Trends in Mortality and Morbidities for Infants Born 24 to 28 Weeks in the US: 1997-2021.

Background: Mortality and morbidity for very preterm infants in the United States decreased for years. The current study describes recent changes to assess whether the pace of improvement has changed.

Methods: Vermont Oxford Network members contributed data on infants born at 24 to 28 weeks' gestation from 1997 to 2021.

Neonatal surfactant therapy beyond respiratory distress syndrome.

Whilst exogenous surfactant therapy is central to the management of newborn infants with respiratory distress syndrome, its use in other neonatal lung diseases remains inconsistent and controversial. Here we discuss the evidence and experience in relation to surfactant therapy in newborns with other lung conditions in which surfactant may be deficient or dysfunctional, including meconium aspiration syndrome, pneumonia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and pulmonary haemorrhage. We find that, for all of these diseases, administration of exogenous surfactant as bolus therapy is frequently associated with transient improvement in oxygenation, likely related to temporary mitigation of surfactant inhibition in the airspaces.

Methylxanthine for the prevention and treatment of apnea in preterm infants.

Background: Very preterm infants often require respiratory support and are therefore exposed to an increased risk of chronic lung disease and later neurodevelopmental disability. Although methylxanthines are widely used to prevent and treat apnea associated with prematurity and to facilitate extubation, there is uncertainty about the benefits and harms of different types of methylxanthines.

Objectives: To assess the effects of methylxanthines on the incidence of apnea, death, neurodevelopmental disability, and other longer-term outcomes in preterm infants (1) at risk for or with apnea, or (2) undergoing extubation.

Towards a harmonized bronchopulmonary dysplasia definition: a study protocol for an international Delphi procedure.

Introduction: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most common complication of preterm birth with lifelong consequences. Multiple BPD definitions are currently used in daily practice. Uniformity in defining BPD is important for clinical care, research and benchmarking.

Surfactant therapy guided by tests for lung maturity in preterm infants at risk of respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: Administration of various exogenous surfactant preparations has been shown to decrease lung injury and pneumothorax and improve survival in very preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). There is no consensus on the threshold for surfactant administration, to allow timely intervention and avoid over-treatment, also considering the invasiveness of the procedure and its cost. Rapid tests for lung maturity, which include the click test, lamellar body counts and stable microbubble test, might guide the identification of those infants needing surfactant administration.

Doxapram for the prevention and treatment of apnea in preterm infants.

Background: Apnea of prematurity is a common problem in preterm infants that may have significant consequences on their development. Methylxanthines (aminophylline, theophylline, and caffeine) are effective in the treatment of apnea of prematurity. Doxapram is used as a respiratory stimulant in cases refractory to the methylxanthine treatment.

Superoxide dismutase for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants.

Background: Free oxygen radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a naturally occurring enzyme which provides a defense against such oxidant injury. Providing supplementary SOD has been tested in clinical trials to prevent BPD in preterm infants.