Nasogastric feeding tubes from a neonatal department yield high concentrations of potentially pathogenic bacteria- even 1 d after insertion.

Background: Preterm infants are vulnerable to pathogens and at risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or sepsis. Nasogastric feeding tubes (NG-tubes) might contaminate feeds given through them due to biofilm formation. We wanted to determine if there is a rationale in replacing NG-tubes more often to reduce contamination.

Unchanged incidence of necrotising enterocolitis in a tertiary neonatal department.

Introduction: At the Department of Neonatology at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, decades of extensive use of mother's milk and human donor milk should theoretically limit the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) among very low birth weight infants. The aim of this study was to determine our local incidence of NEC from 1996 to 2009.

Methods: The data in departmental clinical database containing information about admissions in the 1996-2009 period was compared with data in the Danish Patient Registry.

Disappointment and adherence among parents of newborns allocated to the control group: a qualitative study of a randomized clinical trial.

Background: When a child participates in a clinical trial, informed consent has to be given by the parents. Parental motives for participation are complex, but the hope of getting a new and better treatment for the child is important. We wondered how parents react when their child is allocated to the control group of a randomized controlled trial, and how it will affect their future engagement in the trial.