Publications by authors named "Sandra Di Fabio"

Importance: A multicenter randomized clinical trial (RCT) showed a lung recruitment maneuver using high-frequency oscillatory ventilation just before surfactant administration (ie, intubate-recruit-surfactant-extubate [IN-REC-SUR-E]) improved the efficacy of treatment compared with the standard intubate-surfactant-extubate (IN-SUR-E) technique without increasing the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes.

Objective: To examine follow-up outcomes at corrected postnatal age (cPNA) 2 years of preterm infants previously enrolled in an RCT and treated with IN-REC-SUR-E or IN-SUR-E in 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a follow-up study of infants recruited into the primary RCT from 2015 to 2018 at 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Italy.

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The aim of the present study, endorsed by the Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies (UENPS) and the Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN), was to analyze the current delivery room (DR) stabilization practices in a large sample of European birth centers that care for preterm infants with gestational age (GA) < 33 weeks. Cross-sectional electronic survey was used in this study. A questionnaire focusing on the current DR practices for infants < 33 weeks' GA, divided in 6 neonatal resuscitation domains, was individually sent to the directors of European neonatal facilities, made available as a web-based link.

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Background: Providing appropriate care at birth remains a crucial strategy for reducing neonatal mortality and morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the consistency of practice and the adherence to the international guidelines on neonatal resuscitation in level-I and level-II Italian birth hospitals.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional electronic survey.

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Brain injury at birth is an important cause of neurological and behavioral disorders. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a critical cerebral event occurring acutely or chronically at birth with high mortality and morbidity in newborns. Therapeutic strategies for the prevention of brain damage are still unknown, and the only medical intervention for newborns with moderate-to-severe HIE is therapeutic hypothermia (TH).

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Background: We aimed to evaluate the policies and practices about neonatal resuscitation in a large sample of European hospitals.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional electronic survey. A 91-item questionnaire focusing on the current delivery room practices in neonatal resuscitation domains was individually sent to the directors of 730 European neonatal facilities or (in 5 countries) made available as a Web-based link.

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Objective: To examine the relationship between electrographic seizures and developmental outcome at 18 and 24 months in neonates with moderate and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy [HIE] treated with therapeutic hypothermia [TH].

Study Design: 30 term infants with moderate-severe HIE treated with TH were enrolled prospectively from June 2012 to May 2018. All had continuous single channel amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG) monitoring for a minimum of 72 h and brain MR within 4 weeks.

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Background: The importance of lung recruitment before surfactant administration has been shown in animal studies. Well designed trials in preterm infants are absent. We aimed to examine whether the application of a recruitment manoeuvre just before surfactant administration, followed by rapid extubation (intubate-recruit-surfactant-extubate [IN-REC-SUR-E]), decreased the need for mechanical ventilation during the first 72 h of life compared with no recruitment manoeuvre (ie, intubate-surfactant-extubate [IN-SUR-E]).

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Objective: In the recent years the increase of methamphetamines (MTA) abusers women has become an emerging problem. Very little data has been published regarding the effects of prenatal MTA exposure. We describe a case of MTA related toxicity in a term newborn which have early onset of neonatal encephalopathy and liver failure.

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Background: Neonatal incubators are important tools for sick newborns in the first few days of life. Nevertheless, their electric engine, often very close to the newborn's body, emits electromagnetic fields (EMF) to which newborns are exposed. Aim of this paper is to review the available literature on EMF exposure in incubators, and the effects of such exposures on newborns that have been investigated.

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Background: Although beneficial in clinical practice, the INtubate-SURfactant-Extubate (IN-SUR-E) method is not successful in all preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome, with a reported failure rate ranging from 19 to 69 %. One of the possible mechanisms responsible for the unsuccessful IN-SUR-E method, requiring subsequent re-intubation and mechanical ventilation, is the inability of the preterm lung to achieve and maintain an "optimal" functional residual capacity. The importance of lung recruitment before surfactant administration has been demonstrated in animal studies showing that recruitment leads to a more homogeneous surfactant distribution within the lungs.

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Article Synopsis
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe respiratory illnesses that can lead to hospitalization and long-term effects.
  • The focus on prevention is crucial due to the absence of effective treatments and vaccines for RSV, with hygiene measures being central to reducing infections.
  • The Italian Society of Neonatology has updated its guidelines on the use of Palivizumab, a monoclonal antibody that can help prevent RSV infection in certain high-risk patients.
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Objective: International Guidelines provide a standardised approach to newborn resuscitation in the DR and, in their most recent versions, recommendations dedicated to management of ELBWI were progressively increased. It is expected that introduction in clinical practice and dissemination of the most recent evidence should be more consistent in academic than in non-academic hospitals. The aim of the study was to compare adherence to the International Guidelines and consistency of practice in delivery room management of extremely low birth weight infants between academic and non-academic institutions.

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In this article we evaluated the consistency of practice and the adherence to the International Guidelines in early delivery room management of ELBW infants in Italy. A polyethylene bag/wrap was used by 54 centres (55.1%).

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Phototherapy is standard care for treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Our aim was to compare the effectiveness of broad-spectrum light (BSL) to that of blue light emitting diodes (LED) phototherapy for the treatment of jaundiced late preterm and term infants. Infants with gestational age from 35(+0) to 41(+6) weeks of gestation and nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia were randomized to treatment with BSL phototherapy or blue LED phototherapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to evaluate the changes in early delivery room management practices for extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Italian tertiary centers between 2002 and 2011 by comparing data collected from two national surveys.
  • - A high response rate was observed in both surveys, revealing that the use of polyethylene bags for temperature control significantly increased, while the use of 100% oxygen for resuscitation dramatically decreased, indicating a shift towards less invasive techniques.
  • - Overall, the management of ELBWI showed substantial improvements, particularly in respiratory practices and temperature management, though consistency in the adoption of certain interventions varied across different centers.
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Aim: To evaluate any geographical variations in practice and adherence to international guidelines for early delivery room management of extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants in the North, Centre and South of Italy.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all 107 directors of Italian level III centres between April and August 2012.

Results: There was a 92% (n = 98) response rate.

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Oxygen has been widely used in neonatal resuscitation for about 300 years. In October 2010, the International Liaison Committee on Neonatal Resuscitation released new guidelines. Based on experimental studies and randomized clinical trials, the recommendations on evaluation and monitoring of oxygenation status and oxygen supplementation in the delivery room were revised in detail.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at how different types of births (like cesarean or vaginal) affect how mothers feed their babies when they leave the hospital.
  • It involved over 2,200 babies born in four hospitals in Italy, with some delivered by planned cesarean sections.
  • The results showed that mothers who had planned cesarean sections, especially first-time ones, were more likely to use baby formula instead of breastfeeding when leaving the hospital.
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During the last few decades, neonatal survival rates for preterm infants have markedly been improved. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that preterm neonates should receive sufficient nutrients to enable them to grow at a rate similar to that of fetuses of the same gestational age. Although human milk is the recommended nutritional source for newborn infants for at least the first six months of postnatal life, unfortified human breast milk may not meet the recommended nutritional needs of growing preterm infants.

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