Intravenous Medication Administration Safety with Smart Infusion Pumps in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study.

Introduction: Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are among the most vulnerable patient populations and medication errors are a significant source of risk and harm to neonates. Smart infusion pumps have been implemented to support the safe medication administration process; however, the effect of using smart infusion pumps on medication safety in the NICU is still unclear.

Methods: We conducted an observational study with a prospective point-prevalence approach to investigate intravenous (IV) medication administration errors in the NICU at one academic medical center in the USA.

Parenteral Nutrition in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Intravenous Lipid Emulsions.

Intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) are a source of nonprotein calories and fatty acids and help promote growth in preterm infants and infants with intestinal failure. An ILE dose and oil source determines its fatty acid, phytosterol, and vitamin E delivery. These factors play a role in the infant's risk for essential fatty acid deficiency and cholestasis, and help modulate inflammation, immunity, and organ development.

A quality improvement initiative to reduce acid-suppressing medication exposure in the NICU.

Background: Acid-suppressing medications (ASMs) are commonly prescribed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), in particular among preterm infants, despite well-established adverse effects and little evidence to support efficacy.

Local Problem: We sought to develop an initiative to reduce ASM exposure in our predominantly inborn level III NICU. Our specific aim was to reduce the number of nonindicated ASM prescriptions by 50% within a 12-month period.

Elevated Intestinal Inflammation in Preterm Infants With Signs and Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Objectives: Reflux is common in infancy; however, persistent signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal distress are often attributed to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this pilot study, we aimed to characterize associations between signs and symptoms of suspected GERD and noninvasive markers of intestinal inflammation in preterm infants.

Methods: We reviewed Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data to identify clinical signs and symptoms among case patients (n = 16).

Caffeine Therapy in Preterm Infants: The Dose (and Timing) Make the Medicine.

Caffeine is one of the most commonly utilized medications in the NICU. In preterm infants, short-term and long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental benefits of therapy are well documented in the literature. While robust evidence supports the use of standard doses of caffeine for apnea of prematurity or to facilitate successful extubation, much remains unknown regarding the boundaries of efficacy and safety for this common therapeutic agent.