A Study of the Clinical Profile and Respiratory Index of Severity in Children (RISC) Score in Infants Admitted With Acute Respiratory Infections at a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background Pneumonia is a major infectious cause of mortality in young children worldwide. The Respiratory Index of Severity in Children (RISC) score was designed with the intent to provide an objective mean to quantify the severity of lower respiratory tract infection in young children based on their risk of mortality. Knowledge about the clinical profile of acute respiratory infections and the scoring system predicting the risk of mortality helps in modifying treatment strategies.

Quality Improvement Study With Low-Cost Strategies to Reduce Neonatal Admission Hypothermia.

Background Admission hypothermia is still an underappreciated major challenge for new-born survival in low-resource settings. The WHO recommends skin-to-skin contact as the simplest and safest way for maintaining the body temperature even during transportation. Quality improvement initiatives for hospitalised new-borns have shown benefits like a reduction in neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Early congenital syphilis: missed opportunities in a mother owing to many problems during pregnancy - a case report.

Untreated syphilis in pregnancy can result in an adverse outcome for the fetus. A multigravida woman with a previously poor obstetric history of early neonatal death, abortion and stillbirth was admitted in labour in the 7th month of pregnancy. On admission, syphilis screening with the qualitative rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test was negative.

Decreasing antibiotic over-use by implementation of an antibiotic stewardship programme in preterm neonates in resource limited settings - a quality improvement initiative.

Background: Antibiotics play a critical role in neonatal sepsis but excessive use is associated with adverse outcomes and the current prescribing rates of antibiotics are unacceptably high.

Aim: To reduce antibiotic over-use in preterm neonates by implementing an antibiotic stewardship programme using a quality improvement (QI) initiative.

Methods: This study was conducted at a neonatal intensive care unit in a resource-limited setting.

Newborn Screening for Five Conditions in a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Bengaluru, South India-Three Years Experience.

Purpose: Newborn screening is the need of the hour in a developing country like India as there is paucity of data from studies conducted in government hospitals with large sample size. The purpose of the study is to estimate incidence rate and recall rates for five conditions screened in the neonatal period namely congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, galactosemia and phenyl ketonuria (PKU).

Methods: The study was conducted at VaniVilas Hospital attached to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.