Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation on Tracheal Reintubation Among Patients With Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure Following Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

It has not been established whether noninvasive ventilation (NIV) reduces the need for invasive mechanical ventilation in patients who develop hypoxemic acute respiratory failure after abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether noninvasive ventilation improves outcomes among patients developing hypoxemic acute respiratory failure after abdominal surgery.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial conducted between May 2013 and September 2014 in 20 French intensive care units among 293 patients who had undergone abdominal surgery and developed hypoxemic respiratory failure (partial oxygen pressure <60 mm Hg or oxygen saturation [SpO2] ≤90% when breathing room air or <80 mm Hg when breathing 15 L/min of oxygen, plus either [1] a respiratory rate above 30/min or [2] clinical signs suggestive of intense respiratory muscle work and/or labored breathing) if it occurred within 7 days after surgical procedure.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were randomly assigned to receive standard oxygen therapy (up to 15 L/min to maintain SpO2 of 94% or higher) (n = 145) or NIV delivered via facial mask (inspiratory pressure support level, 5-15 cm H2O; positive end-expiratory pressure, 5-10 cm H2O; fraction of inspired oxygen titrated to maintain SpO2 ≥94%) (n = 148).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was tracheal reintubation for any cause within 7 days of randomization. Secondary outcomes were gas exchange, invasive ventilation-free days at day 30, health care-associated infections, and 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

Among the 293 patients (mean age, 63.4 [SD, 13.8] years; n=224 men) included in the intention-to-treat analysis, reintubation occurred in 49 of 148 (33.1%) in the NIV group and in 66 of 145 (45.5%) in the standard oxygen therapy group within+ 7 days after randomization (absolute difference, -12.4%; 95% CI, -23.5% to -1.3%; P = .03). Noninvasive ventilation was associated with significantly more invasive ventilation-free days compared with standard oxygen therapy (25.4 vs 23.2 days; absolute difference, -2.2 days; 95% CI, -0.1 to 4.6 days; P = .04), while fewer patients developed health care-associated infections (43/137 [31.4%] vs 63/128 [49.2%]; absolute difference, -17.8%; 95% CI, -30.2% to -5.4%; P = .003). At 90 days, 22 of 148 patients (14.9%) in the NIV group and 31 of 144 (21.5%) in the standard oxygen therapy group had died (absolute difference, -6.5%; 95% CI, -16.0% to 3.0%; P = .15). There were no significant differences in gas exchange.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure following abdominal surgery, use of NIV compared with standard oxygen therapy reduced the risk of tracheal reintubation within 7 days. These findings support use of NIV in this setting.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01971892.

Diuretics for transient tachypnoea of the newborn

BACKGROUND

Transient tachypnoea of the newborn (TTN) results from delayed clearance of lung liquid and is a common cause of admission of full-term infants to neonatal intensive care units. The condition is particularly common after elective caesarean section. Conventional treatment involves appropriate oxygen administration and continuous positive airway pressure in some cases. Most infants receive antibiotic therapy. Hastening the clearance of lung liquid may shorten the duration of the symptoms and reduce complications.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether diuretic administration reduces the duration of oxygen therapy and respiratory symptoms and shortens hospital stay in term infants presenting with transient tachypnoea of the newborn.

SEARCH METHODS

An updated search was carried out in September 2015 of the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library issue 9, 2015), MEDLINE via Ovid, EMBASE, PubMed, and CINAHL via OVID.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of diuretics administration versus placebo or no treatment in infants of less than seven days of age, born at 37 or more weeks of gestation with the clinical picture of transient tachypnoea of the newborn.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We extracted and analysed data according to the methods outlined in the latest Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Two review authors assessed trial quality in each potentially eligible manuscript and two review authors extracted data.

MAIN RESULTS

Our previous systematic review included two trials enrolling a total of 100 infants with transient tachypnoea of the newborn (Wiswell 1985; Karabayir 2006). The updated search revealed no new trials. Wiswell 1985 randomised 50 infants to receive either oral furosemide (2 mg/kg body weight at time of diagnosis followed by a 1 mg/kg dose 12 hours later if the tachypnoea persisted) or placebo. Karabayir 2006 randomised 50 infants to receive either intravenous furosemide (2 mg/kg body weight) or an equal volume of normal saline placebo. Neither trial reported on the need for respiratory support. Neither trial demonstrated a statistically significant impact of furosemide on transient tachypnoea of the newborn regarding duration of symptoms or length of hospitalisation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Diuretics cannot be recommended as treatment for transient tachypnoea of the newborn and it should not be used unless additional data become available. This finding suggests that either furosemide is not effective in promoting resorption of lung fluid, or factors other than delayed resorption of this fluid contribute to the pathogenesis of transient tachypnoea of the newborn. The question remains as to whether furosemide given to the infant (or even to the mother before caesarean section) might shorten the duration of the illness. As elective caesarean section continues at a high level, these two interventions might be worthy of trials.

Bayley-III scales at 12 months of corrected age in preterm infants: Patterns of developmental performance and correlations to environmental and biological influences

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Premature infants are at high risk for neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) even in the absence of known brain complications of prematurity. Evaluation of the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in association to neurodevelopmental outcome is required to improve or prevent the neurodevelopmental consequences of prematurity. The Bayley-III is currently the most commonly applied measurement tool for assessing early development both in clinical practice and research settings.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between known risk factors and early performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Third Edition at 12 months adjusted age in premature infants.

METHODS

Prospective study in a cohort of premature infants with gestational age ≤32 weeks, who underwent comprehensive developmental assessment using the five domains of Bayley Scales, cognitive, language, motor, social emotional and adaptive behavior at 12 months corrected age. Developmental scores were evaluated in relation to environmental influences, therapeutic interventions or practices and complications of prematurity.

RESULTS

Composite and Subscale scores for the cognitive, language and motor scales were below the 50th percentile, with no significant differences among them. Scores for the social-emotional and adaptive behavior, which are derived from the parent-report questionnaires, were near the average and significantly higher than the scores derived by the examiners. Multiple regression analyses showed that blood transfusions, apart from severely abnormal head ultrasound, gender, being small for gestational age and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and oxygen administration were consistently related to neurodevelopmental outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Bayley-III assessments are important for getting early information about development following premature birth. Parents may overestimate children's performance. Neurodevelopmental outcome is related to several environmental, biological or medical conditions associated with prematurity. Adoption of therapeutic strategies targeting known neonatal risk factors could positively affect neurodevelopmental outcome.

Predictors of adverse neonatal outcomes in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine predictors of adverse neonatal outcomes in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

STUDY DESIGN

This study was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of all women diagnosed with ICP across 5 hospital facilities from January 2009 through December 2014. Obstetric and neonatal complications were evaluated according to total bile acid (TBA) level. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to evaluate predictors of composite neonatal outcome (neonatal intensive care unit admission, hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn, mechanical ventilation use, oxygen by nasal cannula, pneumonia, and stillbirth). Predictors including TBA level, hepatic transaminase level, gestational age at diagnosis, underlying liver disease, and use of ursodeoxycholic acid were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of 233 women with ICP, 152 women had TBA levels 10-39.9 μmol/L, 55 had TBA 40-99.9 μmol/L, and 26 had TBA ≥100 μmol/L. There was no difference in maternal age, ethnicity, or prepregnancy body mass index according to TBA level. Increasing TBA level was associated with higher hepatic transaminase and total bilirubin level (P < .05). TBA levels ≥100 μmol/L were associated with increased risk of stillbirth (P < .01). Increasing TBA level was also associated with earlier gestational age at diagnosis (P < .01) and ursodeoxycholic acid use (P = .02). After adjusting for confounders, no predictors were associated with composite neonatal morbidity. TBA 40-99.9 μmol/L and TBA ≥100 μmol/L were associated with increased risk of meconium-stained amniotic fluid (adjusted odds ratio, 3.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-8.68 and adjusted odds ratio, 4.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-14.08, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In women with ICP, TBA level ≥100 μmol/L was associated with increased risk of stillbirth. TBA ≥40 μmol/L was associated with increased risk of meconium-stained amniotic fluid.

Acute kidney injury is associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia/mortality in premature infants

BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury (AKI) impairs electrolyte balance, alters fluid homeostasis and decreases toxin excretion. More recent data suggest it also affects the physiology of distant organs.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cohort study which invloved 122 premature infants [birth weight (BW) ≤1200 g and/or gestational age (GA) <31 weeks] to determine relationships between AKI and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)/mortality. Days until oxygen discontinuation was compared between those with and without AKI in survivors who received oxygen for ≥24 h.

RESULTS

Acute kidney disease, defined by a rise in serum creatinine (SCr) of ≥0.3 mg/dl or an increase in SCr of ≥150%, occurred in 36/122 (30%) of the premature infants. Those with AKI had a 70% higher risk of oxygen requirement or of dying at 28 days of life [relative risk (RR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-2.39; p < 0.002]. This association remained after controlling for GA, pre-eclampsia, 5 min Apgar score and percentage maximum weight change (max % weight Δ) in the first 4 days (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.97); p < 0.02). Similar findings were noted for receipt of mechanical ventilation/death by day 28 (adjusted RR 1.53, 95% CI 1.05-2.22; p < 0.03). Those without AKI were 2.5-fold more likely to come off oxygen [hazard ratio (HR) 1.3-5; p < 0.02) than those with AKI, even when controlling for GA, pre-eclampsia, 5 min Apgar and max % weight Δ (multivariate HR 2.0, 95% CI 0.9-4.0; p < 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

In premature infants, AKI is associated with BPD/mortality. As AKI could lead to altered lung physiology, interventions to ameliorate AKI could improve long-term BPD.

Assessment of health status and program performance in patients on long-term oxygen therapy

BACKGROUND

Despite well established clinical guidelines, performance of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) programs shows marked variability among territories. The current study assessed the LTOT program and the health status of patients on LTOT prior to the deployment of community-based integrated care in an urban health district of Barcelona (Spain).

AIMS

To assess: i) the LTOT program and health status of the patients on LTOT in the health district; ii) their frailty profile; and, iii) the requirements for effective deployment of integrated care services for these patients.

METHODS

Cross-sectional observational study design including all patients (n = 406) on LTOT living in the health district. Health status, frailty, arterial blood gases, forced spirometry and hand-grip muscle strength were measured. Network analysis of frailty was carried out.

RESULTS

Adequacy of LTOT prescription (n = 362): 47% and 31% of the patients had PaO2 ≤ 60 mmHg and ≤55 mmHg, respectively. Adherence to LTOT: 31% of all patients used LTOT ≥15 h/d; this figure increased to 67% in those with PaO2≤60 mmHg. Assessment of frailty: Overall, LTOT patients presented moderate to severe frailty. Care complexity was observed in 42% of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Adequacy and adherence to LTOT was poor and many patients were frail and complex. The outcomes of the network analysis may contribute to enhance assessment of frailty in LTOT patients. These observations suggest that an integrated care strategy has the potential to improve the health outcomes of these patients.

Oxygen therapy use in older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

RATIONALE

Oxygen therapy improves survival and function in severely hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients based on two landmark studies conducted over 40 years ago. We hypothesize that oxygen users in the current era may be very different. We examined trends and subject characteristics associated with oxygen therapy use from 2001-2010 in the United States.

METHODS

We examined Medicare beneficiaries with COPD who received oxygen from 2001 to 2010. COPD subjects were identified by: 1) ≥2 outpatient visits >30 days apart within one year with an encounter diagnosis of COPD; or 2) an acute care hospitalization with COPD as the primary or secondary discharge diagnosis. Oxygen therapy and sustained oxygen therapy were defined as ≥1 and ≥11 claims for oxygen, respectively, in the durable medical equipment file in a calendar year. Primary outcome measures were factors associated with oxygen therapy and sustained oxygen therapy over the study period.

RESULTS

Oxygen therapy increased from 33.7% in 2001 to 40.5% in 2010 (p-value of trend <0.001). Sustained oxygen therapy use increased from 19.5% in 2001, peaked in 2008 to 26.9% and declined to 18.5% in 2010. The majority of subjects receiving oxygen therapy and sustained oxygen therapy were female. Besides gender, factors associated with any oxygen use or sustained oxygen therapy were non-Hispanic white race, low socioeconomic status and ≥2 comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Any oxygen use among fee-for service Medicare beneficiaries with COPD is high. Current users of oxygen are older females with multiple comorbidities. Decline in sustained oxygen therapy use after 2008 may be related to reimbursement policy change.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low-birth-weight infants

BACKGROUND

In preterm newborns, the ductus arteriosus frequently fails to close and the infants require medical or surgical closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A PDA can be treated surgically or medically with one of two prostaglandin inhibitors, indomethacin or ibuprofen. Case reports suggest that paracetamol may be an alternative for the closure of a PDA. Concerns have been raised that in neonatal mice paracetamol may cause adverse effects on the developing brain, and an association between prenatal exposure to paracetamol and later development of autism or autism spectrum disorder has been reported.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the efficacy and safety of intravenous or oral paracetamol compared with placebo or no intervention, intravenous indomethacin, intravenous or oral ibuprofen, or with other cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors for closure of a PDA in preterm or low-birth-weight infants.

SEARCH METHODS

We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included electronic searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. We searched abstracts from the meetings of the Pediatric Academic Societies and the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand. We searched clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; anzctr.org.au; World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform at who.int/ictrp for ongoing trials and the Web of Science for articles quoting identified randomised controlled trials. We searched the first 200 hits on Google Scholar(TM) to identify grey literature. All searches were conducted in December 2013. A repeat search of MEDLINE in August 2014 did not identify any new trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We identified two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared oral paracetamol to oral ibuprofen for the treatment of an echocardiographically diagnosed PDA in infants born preterm (≤ 34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA)).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We performed data collection and analyses in accordance with the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group.

MAIN RESULTS

Two unmasked studies of treatment of PDA that enrolled 250 infants were included. The sequence of randomisation and the allocation to treatment groups were concealed in both studies. In one study the cardiologist assessing PDA closure was blinded to group allocation of the infant. In the other study it was not stated if that was the case or not. The quality of the trials, using GRADE, was low for the primary outcome of PDA closure and moderate for all other important outcomes. There was no significant difference between treatment with oral paracetamol versus oral ibuprofen for failure of ductal closure after the first course of drug administration (typical relative risk (RR) 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67 to 1.22; typical risk difference (RD) -0.04, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.08; I(2) = 0 % for RR and 23% for RD).There were no significant differences between the paracetamol and the ibuprofen groups in the secondary outcomes except for 'duration for need of supplemental oxygen' (mean difference -12 days, 95% CI -23 days to -2 days; 1 study, n = 90) and for hyperbilirubinaemia (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.97; RD -0.15, 95% CI -0.29 to -0.01; number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB) 7, 95% CI 3 to 100 in favour of paracetamol; 1 study, n = 160).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Although a limited number of infants with a PDA have been studied in randomised trials of low to moderate quality according to GRADE, oral paracetamol appears to be as effective in closing a PDA as oral ibuprofen. In view of a recent report in mice of adverse effects on the developing brain from paracetamol, and another report of an association between prenatal paracetamol and the development of autism or autism spectrum disorder in childhood, long-term follow-up to at least 18 to 24 months postnatal age must be incorporated in any studies of paracetamol in the newborn population. Such trials are required before any recommendations for the use of paracetamol in the newborn population can be made.

Features of retinopathy of prematurity in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore

OBJECTIVE

To study the demographic and clinical features of Retinopathy of Prematurity in urban Punjab.

METHODS

The cross-sectional study was performed at Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore, from April 2010 to October 2013 and comprised neonates born with birth weight less than 2000 g, gestational age less than 37 weeks, or those who were considered high risk for Retinopathy of Prematurity. Variables recorded included history, birth weight, gestational age, oxygen supplementation, development of Retinopathy of Prematurity, and laser treatment. Data was analysed using SPSS 17.

RESULTS

There were 285 neonates in the study with a mean birth weight of 1280.34 ± 350.43 g and mean gestational age being 29.38 ± 3.14 weeks. Overall, 167 (58.6%) received supplemental oxygen, 86(30.2%) were anaemic and 44 (15.4%) received blood transfusion. Besides, 47 (16.5%) premature babies were product of multiple gestation, 34 (11.9%) were having respiratory distress, 25 (8.8%) had sepsis and received intravenous antibiotics, 70(24.6%) developed Retinopathy of Prematurity, and 22 (7.7%) developed threshold disease and received laser treatment at mean gestational age of 32.11 ± 2.53 weeks.

CONCLUSION

Screening is key to preventing childhood blindness caused by Retinopathy of Prematurity. Prematurity, low birth weight and supplemental oxygen therapy are significant risk factors for the condition.

A growing fire hazard concern in communities: home oxygen therapy and continued smoking habits

The Safe Home Care Project investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively a range of occupational safety and health hazards, as well as injury and illness prevention practices, among home care aides in Massachusetts. This article reports on a hazard identified by aides during the study's initial focus groups: smoking by home care clients on long-term oxygen therapy. Following the qualitative phase we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1,249 aides and found that medical oxygen was present in 9 percent of aide visits (314 of aides' 3,484 recent client visits) and that 25 percent of clients on oxygen therapy were described as smokers. Based on our findings, the Board of Health in a local town conducted a pilot study to address fire hazards related to medical oxygen. Medical oxygen combined with smoking or other sources of ignition is a serious fire and explosion hazard that threatens not only workers who visit homes but also communities.

Early (< 8 days) postnatal corticosteroids for preventing chronic lung disease in preterm infants

BACKGROUND

Chronic lung disease remains a major problem in neonatal intensive care units. Persistent inflammation in the lungs is the most likely underlying pathogenesis. Corticosteroids have been used to either prevent or treat chronic lung disease because of their potent anti-inflammatory effects.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relative benefits and adverse effects of postnatal corticosteroids commenced within the first seven days of life to preterm infants at risk of developing chronic lung disease.

SEARCH METHODS

We sought randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of postnatal corticosteroid therapy from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2013, Issue 8), MEDLINE (1966 to August 2013), handsearching paediatric and perinatal journals, and by examining previous review articles and information received from practising neonatologists. We contacted authors of all studies, where possible, to confirm details of reported follow-up studies, or to obtain any information about long-term follow-up where none had been reported.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We selected RCTs of postnatal corticosteroid treatment within the first seven days of life (early) in high-risk preterm infants for this review. Most studies evaluated the use of dexamethasone but we also included studies that assessed hydrocortisone, even if it was used primarily to manage hypotension.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We extracted and analysed data regarding clinical outcomes that included mortality, chronic lung disease, death or chronic lung disease, failure to extubate, complications during the primary hospitalisation, and long-term health outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

Twenty-nine RCTs enrolling a total of 3750 participants were eligible for inclusion in this review. The overall risk for bias was probably low as all were randomised controlled trials, and most trials have used rigorous methods. There were significant benefits for the following outcomes: lower rates of failure to extubate and decreased risks of chronic lung disease at both 28 days and 36 weeks' postmenstrual age, death or chronic lung disease at 28 days and 36 weeks' postmenstrual age, patent ductus arteriosus and ROP, including severe ROP. There were no significant differences in the rates of neonatal or subsequent mortality, infection, severe intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, necrotising enterocolitis or pulmonary haemorrhage. Gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation were important adverse effects. The risks of hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and growth failure were also increased. In the 12 trials that reported late outcomes, several adverse neurological effects were found at follow-up examinations, including developmental delay (not defined), cerebral palsy and abnormal neurological examination. However, major neurosensory disability was not significantly increased, either overall in the seven studies where this outcome could be determined, or in the two individual studies where the rates of cerebral palsy or abnormal neurological examination were significantly increased. Moreover, the rates of the combined outcomes of death or cerebral palsy, or of death or major neurosensory disability, were not significantly increased. Dexamethasone was used in most studies (n = 20); only nine studies used hydrocortisone. In subgroup analyses by type of corticosteroid, most of the beneficial and harmful effects were attributable to dexamethasone; hydrocortisone had little effect on any outcomes except for an increase in intestinal perforation and a borderline reduction in patent ductus arteriosus.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The benefits of early postnatal corticosteroid treatment (≤ 7 days), particularly dexamethasone, may not outweigh the adverse effects of this treatment. Although early corticosteroid treatment facilitates extubation and reduces the risk of chronic lung disease and patent ductus arteriosus, it causes short-term adverse effects including gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and growth failure. Long-term follow-up studies report an increased risk of abnormal neurological examination and cerebral palsy. However, the methodological quality of the studies determining long-term outcomes is limited in some cases; the surviving children have been assessed predominantly before school age, and no study has been sufficiently powered to detect important adverse long-term neurosensory outcomes. There is a compelling need for the long-term follow-up and reporting of late outcomes, especially neurological and developmental outcomes, among surviving infants who participated in all randomised trials of early postnatal corticosteroid treatment. Hydrocortisone in the doses and regimens used in the reported RCTs has few beneficial or harmful effects and cannot be recommended for the prevention of chronic lung disease.

Estimating oxygen needs for childhood pneumonia in developing country health systems: a new model for expecting the unexpected

BACKGROUND

Planning for the reliable and cost-effective supply of a health service commodity such as medical oxygen requires an understanding of the dynamic need or 'demand' for the commodity over time. In developing country health systems, however, collecting longitudinal clinical data for forecasting purposes is very difficult. Furthermore, approaches to estimating demand for supplies based on annual averages can underestimate demand some of the time by missing temporal variability.

METHODS

A discrete event simulation model was developed to estimate variable demand for a health service commodity using the important example of medical oxygen for childhood pneumonia. The model is based on five key factors affecting oxygen demand: annual pneumonia admission rate, hypoxaemia prevalence, degree of seasonality, treatment duration, and oxygen flow rate. These parameters were varied over a wide range of values to generate simulation results for different settings. Total oxygen volume, peak patient load, and hours spent above average-based demand estimates were computed for both low and high seasons.

FINDINGS

Oxygen demand estimates based on annual average values of demand factors can often severely underestimate actual demand. For scenarios with high hypoxaemia prevalence and degree of seasonality, demand can exceed average levels up to 68% of the time. Even for typical scenarios, demand may exceed three times the average level for several hours per day. Peak patient load is sensitive to hypoxaemia prevalence, whereas time spent at such peak loads is strongly influenced by degree of seasonality.

CONCLUSION

A theoretical study is presented whereby a simulation approach to estimating oxygen demand is used to better capture temporal variability compared to standard average-based approaches. This approach provides better grounds for health service planning, including decision-making around technologies for oxygen delivery. Beyond oxygen, this approach is widely applicable to other areas of resource and technology planning in developing country health systems.

Current trends in the management of pulmonary hypertension associated with respiratory disease in institutions approved by the Japanese Respiratory Society

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) often correlates with respiratory disease severity. Right heart catheterization (RHC) is recommended for the definitive diagnosis of PH associated with respiratory disease (R-PH). However, no previous studies have evaluated the perceived necessity for pulmonologists to use RHC for R-PH diagnosis, or the management of R-PH in Japan.

METHODS

Questionnaires were mailed to 855 institutions, approved by the Japanese Respiratory Society. Questions included the prevalence and necessity of RHC and other methods in R-PH diagnosis, and current trends in the treatment of R-PH.

RESULTS

Questionnaires were returned from 289 institutions (34%). Patients with R-PH were examined by pulmonologists in 89% of institutions; some pulmonologists performed echocardiography (15%) and some RHC (13%). Echocardiography was used to diagnose R-PH in 99% of institutions and RHC was used in 36%. RHC was considered in cases of suspected PH in 49% of institutions and prior to initiation of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-specific therapy in 57%. Of patients diagnosed with R-PH, 47% were treated with ambulatory oxygen therapy. Furthermore, 98 of 145 institutions used PAH-specific therapy to treat R-PH. Of the 1355 patients who underwent RHC as a part of PH evaluation, 29% were confirmed to have PH, and 8% had severe PH with a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of ≥35mmHg.

CONCLUSIONS

The current diagnostic and treatment modalities for R-PH in Japan were evaluated. Although few pulmonologists perform RHC for R-PH diagnosis in Japan, more than half consider using RHC for patients before initiating PAH-specific therapy.

[Prescription analysis of continuous home care oxygen therapy after intervention pharmaceutical]

OBJECTIVES

Analyze developments in the clinical adequacy of prescribing continuous home oxygen therapy to current regulations in the Andalusian Health Service.

METHODOLOGY

Were reviewed in a previous study requirements and continuing new domiciliary oxygen therapy conducted from January 2008 to December 2009. It constituted a Monitoring Committee Multidisciplinary and turned to analyzing the appropriateness of prescribing after two pharmaceutical interventions from April 2011 to March 2012. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 15.0 for Windows, the dependent variable being the correct blade adjustment to the first prescription and then, and as independent prescribing different units. In cases in which the prescribing correct sheet, variables were analyzed mandatory.

RESULTS

163 prescriptions were checked manually with a rate of compliance with the regulations of 66.30%, slightly higher than the results of the previous study (55.72% in 2008, 47.70% in 2009). The intervention did not achieve a greater degree the outlook for lack of financial and material resources, affecting one of the fundamental objectives were patient reviews.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmaceutical intervention has ensured that the prescription conforms to the rules and perform better, but has not been able to control the issue of revisions to rely on other medical and administrative units requesting increased technological and human resources to facilitate control.

Parental perception of functional status following tracheostomy in infancy: a single center study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the functional outcomes of children who underwent a tracheostomy in the initial hospitalization after birth and to determine their correlates.

STUDY DESIGN

We administered the validated 43-item Functional Status-II (FS-II) questionnaire by Stein and Jessop over the telephone to caregivers of surviving children. The FS-II items generated a total score, age-specific: (1) total; (2) general health (GH); and (3) responsiveness, activity, or interpersonal functioning (IPF) scores in specific age group categories.

RESULTS

FS-II was administered to 51/62 (82.2%) survivors at a median (range) age of 5 (1-10) years; 27% children were on the ventilator and 43% required devices. About 40% of children had a median of 1 (1-4) hospitalization in the previous 6 months. Scores were >2 SD below means in 55%, 24%, and 55% cases for age-specific T, GH, and R/A/IPF scores respectively. The T and R/A/IPF scales were significantly higher in those with private, rather than public, maternal insurance, as were T and R/A/IPF scores for children ≥ 4 years, compared with younger children. On regression analysis, FS-II T, GH, and R/A/IPF scores were independently associated with maternal private insurance (P = .02). R/A/IPF scores were also significantly associated with corrected age at FS-II administration.

CONCLUSIONS

One-third of surviving children who underwent tracheostomy during their initial hospitalization remained technology-dependent. The parental FS-II questionnaires revealed low R/A/IPF scores, especially at younger ages and in those with maternal public insurance. Further research on family-level interventions to improve functional outcomes in this population is warranted.

Furosemide for transient tachypnoea of the newborn

BACKGROUND

Transient tachypnoea of the newborn (TTN) results from delayed clearance of lung liquid and is a common cause of admission of full term infants to neonatal intensive care units. The condition is particularly common after elective caesarean section. Conventional treatment involves appropriate oxygen administration and continuous positive airway pressure in some cases. Most infants receive antibiotic therapy. Hastening the clearance of lung liquid may shorten the duration of the symptoms and reduce complications.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether furosemide administration reduces the duration of oxygen therapy and respiratory symptoms and shortens hospital stay in term infants with transient tachypnoea of the newborn.

SEARCH METHODS

An updated search was carried out in January 2013 of the following databases: The Cochrane Library issue 1, 2013 (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), PubMed, MEDLINE via Ovid, CINAHL via OVID and EMBASE.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of furosemide administration versus placebo or no treatment in infants of less than seven days of age, born at 37 or more weeks of gestation with the clinical picture of transient tachypnoea of the newborn.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We extracted and analysed data according to the methods outlined in the latest Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Two review authors assessed trial quality in each potentially eligible manuscript and two review authors extracted data.

MAIN RESULTS

Our updated review includes two completed trials. Wiswell 1985 and Karabayir 2006 investigated 100 infants with transient tachypnoea of the newborn. Wiswell 1985 randomised 50 infants to receive either oral furosemide (2 mg/kg body weight at time of diagnosis followed by a 1 mg/kg dose 12 hours later if the tachypnoea persisted) or placebo. Karabayir 2006 randomised 50 infants to receive either intravenous furosemide (2 mg/kg body weight) or an equal volume of normal saline placebo. Neither trial reported on the need for respiratory support. Neither trial demonstrated a statistically significant impact of furosemide on transient tachypnoea of the newborn regarding duration of symptoms or length of hospitalisation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Oral or intravenous furosemide cannot be recommended as treatment for transient tachypnoea of the newborn and it should not be used unless additional data become available. This finding suggests that either furosemide is not effective in promoting resorption of lung fluid, or factors other than delayed resorption of this fluid contribute to the pathogenesis of transient tachypnoea of the newborn. The question remains as to whether furosemide given to the infant (or even to the mother before caesarean section) might shorten the duration of the illness. As elective caesarean section continues at a high level, these two interventions might be worthy of trials.

Oxygen is nonbeneficial for most patients who are near death

CONTEXT

Clinicians prescribe and administer oxygen in response to reports of dyspnea, in the face of dropping oxygen saturation, as a "routine" comfort intervention, or to support anxious family members. Oxygen may produce nasal irritation and increase the cost of care.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the benefit of administering oxygen to patients who are near death.

METHODS

A double-blind, repeated-measure observation with the patient as his/her own control was conducted. The Respiratory Distress Observation Scale(©) measured presence and intensity of distress at baseline and at every gas or flow change. Medical air, oxygen, and no flow were randomly alternated every 10 minutes via nasal cannula with patients who were near death, at risk for respiratory distress, with no distress at the baseline of testing. Each patient had two encounters under each condition, yielding six encounters per patient.

RESULTS

Patients were 66% female, 34% white, and 66% African American, and ages 56-97 years. Patients had heart failure (25%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (34%), pneumonia (41%), or lung cancer (9%). Most (91%) patients tolerated the protocol with no change in respiratory comfort. Three patients (9%) displayed distress and were restored to baseline oxygen; one patient died during the protocol while displaying no distress. Repeated-measure analysis of variance revealed no differences in the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale under changing gas and flow conditions.

CONCLUSION

The routine application of oxygen to patients who are near death is not supported. The n-of-1 trial of oxygen in clinical practice is appropriate in the face of hypoxemic respiratory distress.

Long-term oxygen therapy in Japan: history, present status, and current problems

Historically, the progress of long term-oxygen therapy (LTOT) in Japan has been characterized by collaboration among academic groups, policy makers, and industrial companies. The public health insurance program has covered the cost of LTOT since 1985. Thomas Petty's group in Denver enthusiastically carried out the public implementation of LTOT and conveyed the concept of pulmonary rehabilitation for the processing with LTOT. Although the target diseases of LTOT in Japan tended to be chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or sequelae of primary lung tuberculosis, it was soon applied for cardiac diseases as well as other pulmonary diseases. Together with increasing medical costs for geriatric patients, the political conversion from hospital based care of a traditional style to home care system has been performed, with two background reasons: the improvement of quality of life of patients and the reduction of the medical expense. Presently, LTOT plays a pivotal role in the successful implementation of home respiratory care for elderly patients. In addition, this promotes comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation, a team approach, and close liaisons between primary care and hospitals. Currently, the total number of patients using LTOT exceeds 150,000. In Japan, LTOT resulted in an advancement in the medical care as well as in administrative decision to introduce it as a nationwide system after analyzing the results of opinion polls of patients with respiratory failure. However, the recent great earthquake in East Japan revealed that many unresolved problems remain for these patients, and these issues are of great concern.

Survey of neonatal respiratory care and surfactant administration in very preterm infants in the Italian Neonatal Network

INTRODUCTION

Variation of respiratory care is described between centers around the world. The Italian Neonatal Network (INN), as a national group of the Vermont-Oxford Network (VON) allows to perform a wide analysis of respiratory care in very low birth weight infants.

METHODS

We analyzed the dataset of infants enrolled in the INN in 2009 and 2010 and, for surfactant administration only, from 2006 to 2010 from 83 participating centers. All definitions are those of the (VON). A questionnaire analysis was also performed with a questionnaire on centers practices.

RESULTS

We report data for 8297 infants. Data on ventilator practices and outcomes are outlined. Variation for both practices and outcome is found. Trend in surfactant administration is also analyzed. CONCLUSIONS. The great variation across hospitals in all the surveyed techniques points to the possibility of implementing potentially better practices with the aim of reducing unwanted variation. These data also show the power of large neonatal networks in identifying areas for potential improvement.

Management of acute bronchiolitis in emergency wards in Spain: variability and appropriateness analysis (aBREVIADo Project)

Most patients with acute bronchiolitis have a mild course and only require outpatient care. However, some of them have to go to emergency departments, because they have respiratory distress or feeding problems. There, they frequently receive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We want to know the variability and appropriateness of these procedures. A cross-sectional study (October 2007 to March 2008) was carried out on 2,430 diagnosed cases of bronchiolitis in hospital emergency departments, which required no hospitalization. An analysis of the appropriateness of the treatments was made in 2,032 cases gathered in ten departments with at least 100 cases, using as criterion the recommendations of a consensus conference. We estimated the adjusted percentages of each department. Most of the bronchiolitis were mild, in spite that they underwent multiple diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In the acute phase, different treatments were used: inhaled beta 2 agonists (61.4%), antipyretics (17.1%), oral steroids (11.3%), and nebulized adrenaline (9.3%). In the maintenance phase, the most common treatments were: inhaled beta 2 agonists (50.5%), oral steroids (17%), oral beta 2 agonists (14.9%), and antibiotics (6.1%). The 64% of the treatments used in the acute phase and the 55.9% in the maintenance phase were considered inappropriate in the appropriateness analysis; a great heterogeneity among centers was found.

CONCLUSIONS

There are discrepancies between clinical practice and evidence-based management of bronchiolitis in Spanish emergency departments. Inappropriate treatments were used in more than half of patients. The wide variation between centers shows the influence of local prescribing habits and reveals the scope for improvement.

Avoidance of mechanical ventilation by surfactant treatment of spontaneously breathing preterm infants (AMV): an open-label, randomised, controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Surfactant is usually given to mechanically ventilated preterm infants via an endotracheal tube to treat respiratory distress syndrome. We tested a new method of surfactant application to spontaneously breathing preterm infants to avoid mechanical ventilation.

METHOD

In a parallel-group, randomised controlled trial, 220 preterm infants with a gestational age between 26 and 28 weeks and a birthweight less than 1·5 kg were enrolled in 12 German neonatal intensive care units. Infants were independently randomised in a 1:1 ratio with variable block sizes, to standard treatment or intervention, and randomisation was stratified according to centre and multiple birth status. Masking was not possible. Infants were stabilised with continuous positive airway pressure and received rescue intubation if necessary. In the intervention group, infants received surfactant treatment during spontaneous breathing via a thin catheter inserted into the trachea by laryngoscopy if they needed a fraction of inspired oxygen more than 0·30. The primary endpoint was need for any mechanical ventilation, or being not ventilated but having a partial pressure of carbon dioxide more than 65 mm Hg (8·6 kPa) or a fraction of inspired oxygen more than 0·60, or both, for more than 2 h between 25 h and 72 h of age. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN05025922.

FINDINGS

108 infants were assigned to the intervention group and 112 infants to the standard treatment group. All infants were analysed. On day 2 or 3 after birth, 30 (28%) infants in the intervention group were mechanically ventilated versus 51 (46%) in the standard treatment group (number needed to treat 6, 95% CI 3-20, absolute risk reduction 0·18, 95% CI 0·30-0·05, p=0·008). 36 (33%) infants in the intervention group were mechanically ventilated during their stay in the hospital compared with 82 (73%) in the standard treatment group (number needed to treat: 3, 95% CI 2-4, p<0·0001). The intervention group had significantly fewer median days on mechanical ventilation, (0 days. IQR 0-3 vs 2 days, 0-5) and a lower need for oxygen therapy at 28 days (30 infants [30%] vs 49 infants [45%], p=0·032) compared with the standard treatment group. We recorded no differences between groups for mortality (seven deaths in the intervention group vs five in the standard treatment group) and serious adverse events (21 vs 28).

INTERPRETATION

The application of surfactant via a thin catheter to spontaneously breathing preterm infants receiving continuous positive airway pressure reduces the need for mechanical ventilation.

FUNDING

German Ministry of Research and Technology, University of Lübeck, and Chiesi Pharmaceuticals.

British Thoracic Society emergency oxygen audits

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guideline for emergency oxygen use in adult patients was commissioned by the BTS and developed in conjunction with 21 other colleges and societies prior to publication in 2008. One of the specific aims of the Guideline Development Group was to audit the use of oxygen in UK hospitals before the guideline was published and at intervals afterwards.

[Current situation and problems of home oxygen therapy (HOT) in the medical sphere with a population of two million people in Japan]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The current circumstances of patients treated with home oxygen therapy (HOT) for respiratory failure are understood relatively well, whereas those of HOT patients with heart failure has not been extensively examined. Furthermore, investigation of the fundamental realities of disease checkups cooperation between specialist hospitals and clinics regarding HOT patients has not been satisfactory. For these reasons, we attempted to clarify the circumstances of HOT patients at clinics, respiratory specialist hospitals, and cardiovascular specialist hospitals, in the context of those who work in the medical sphere in Japan (approx. 2 million people).

METHODS

An epidemiological survey was simultaneously sent to district clinics, respiratory specialist hospitals, and cardiovascular specialist hospitals, all located in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan, and which were anticipated to be involved in HOT.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

HOT was widely performed in all respiratory specialist hospitals, but only in 55% of clinics and in 67% of cardiovascular specialist hospitals. Among the total number of patients given HOT, the rate of patients with heart failure was 15%, 80% of whom had left-sided heart failure. This value was five times higher than that reported in a nationwide investigation in Japan. Since patients with advanced heart failure were highly comorbid with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), non-invasive ventilation with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) instead of HOT was frequently given to these patients as first-line therapy. Checkups cooperation appeared relatively close among respiratory specialist hospitals, but not between cardiovascular specialist hospitals and district clinics.

Characteristics of paediatric patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and severe, oxygen-requiring pneumonia in the Tokyo region, 1 September-31 October 2009

Few reports describe the features of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) pneumonia in children. We retrospectively reviewed 21 consecutive children admitted to hospital from September to October 2009 in the Tokyo region. The diagnosis of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus infection was based on positive results of real-time RT-PCR or rapid influenza antigen test. All patients were hospitalised for pneumonia with respiratory failure and severe hypoxia. The median interval from onset of influenza symptoms to admission was 14 hours (range: 5-72 hours) and the median interval from the onset of fever (≥38 degrees C) to hospitalisation was 8.5 hours (range: 0-36 hours). All patients required oxygen inhalation. Four patients required mechanical ventilation. Chest radiography revealed patchy infiltration or atelectasis in all patients. Antiviral agents and antibiotics were administrated to all patients. Antiviral agents were administered to 20 patients within 48 hours of influenza symptom onset. No deaths occurred during the study period. Paediatric patients with this pneumonia showed rapid aggravation of dyspnoea and hypoxia after the onset of influenza symptoms.

Prenatal and perinatal complications: is it the link between race and SES and childhood sleep disordered breathing?

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Recent evidence has suggested that low socioeconomic status (SES), race, prematurity, and maternal smoking during pregnancy are associated with childhood sleep disordered breathing (SDB). We investigated (1) the association of SDB with a wide range of risk factors, including prenatal and perinatal complications; (2) the association of these complications with SES and race; and (3) the association of SDB with developmental milestones.

METHODS

Six hundred thirteen school-aged children (105 clinically referred and 508 community control subjects) underwent overnight polysomnography and had a complete history and physical examination. A comprehensive child development questionnaire was completed by a parent. We compared clinically referred children with SDB to population-based control children without SDB from The Penn State Children's Cohort.

RESULTS

Maternal smoking during pregnancy; maternal age and weight gain during pregnancy; prenatal complications, such as maternal high blood pressure and gestational diabetes; perinatal complications related to prematurity; delayed motor milestones; race and SES were significantly associated with the presence of childhood SDB. Most of the risk factors became nonsignificant when analyses controlled for race and SES. Delayed motor milestones remained significantly associated with SDB after controlling for race and SES.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that there is a significant association between children who experience prenatal or perinatal distress and the development of moderate to severe childhood SDB. SES and race may be mediating the impact on SDB through increased prenatal and perinatal risks. The significant delay in motor milestones suggests that prenatal and perinatal distress may result in neurologic insult, which could influence the development of SDB in later childhood.

Geographic differences in use of home oxygen for obstructive lung disease: a national Medicare study

RATIONALE

Home oxygen is the most expensive equipment item that Medicare purchases ($1.7 billion/year).

OBJECTIVES

To assess geographic differences in supplemental oxygen use.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort analysis of oxygen claims for a 20% random sample of Medicare patients hospitalized for obstructive lung disease in 1999 and alive at the end of 2000.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

While 33.7% of the 34,916 hospitalized patients used supplemental oxygen, there was more than a 4-fold difference between states and a greater than 6-fold difference between hospital referral regions with high/low utilization. Rocky Mountain States and Alaska had the highest utilization, while the District of Columbia and Louisiana had the lowest utilization. After adjusting for patient characteristics and elevation, high-utilization communities included low-lying areas in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington. Patients who were younger, male, white, and who had more comorbidities, more hospital admissions, and lived at higher altitudes and in areas of greater income also had higher odds of using supplemental oxygen. Residing in rural areas was associated with higher unadjusted oxygen use rates. After adjustment, patients living in large rural areas had higher odds of using oxygen than patients living in urban areas or in small rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

There is significant geographic variation in supplemental oxygen use, even after controlling for patient and contextual factors. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should examine these issues further and enact changes that ensure patient health and fiscal responsibility.

Oxygen delivery to patients after cardiac surgery: a medical record audit

OBJECTIVE

To describe how intensive care nurses manage the administration of supplemental oxygen to patients during the first 24 hours after cardiac surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective audit was conducted of the medical records of 245 adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 1 January 2005 and 31 May 2008 in an Australian metropolitan hospital. Physiological data (oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry and respiratory rate) and intensive care unit management data (oxygen delivery device, oxygen flow rate and duration of mechanical ventilation) were collected at hourly intervals over the first 24 hours of ICU care.

RESULTS

Of the 245 patients whose records were audited, 185 were male; mean age was 70 years (SD, 10), and mean APACHE II score was 17.5 (SD, 5.14). Almost half the patients (122, 49.8%) were extubated within 8 hours of ICU admission. The most common oxygen delivery device used immediately after extubation was the simple face mask (214 patients, 87%). Following extubation, patients received supplemental oxygen via, on average, two different delivery devices (range, 1-3), and had the delivery device changed an average of 1.38 times (range, 0-6) during the 24 hours studied. Twenty-two patients (9%) received non-invasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy, and 16 (7%) experienced one or more episode of hypoxaemia during mechanical ventilation. A total of 148 patients (60%) experienced one or more episodes of low oxygenation or abnormal respiratory rate during the first 24 hours of ICU care despite receiving supplemental oxygen.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the ICU environment does not protect cardiac surgical patients from suboptimal oxygen delivery, and highlights the need for strategies to prompt the early initiation of interventions aimed at optimising blood oxygen levels in cardiac surgical patients in the ICU.

Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician

BACKGROUND

Studies of planned home births attended by registered midwives have been limited by incomplete data, nonrepresentative sampling, inadequate statistical power and the inability to exclude unplanned home births. We compared the outcomes of planned home births attended by midwives with those of planned hospital births attended by midwives or physicians.

METHODS

We included all planned home births attended by registered midwives from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2004, in British Columbia, Canada (n = 2889), and all planned hospital births meeting the eligibility requirements for home birth that were attended by the same cohort of midwives (n = 4752). We also included a matched sample of physician-attended planned hospital births (n = 5331). The primary outcome measure was perinatal mortality; secondary outcomes were obstetric interventions and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

RESULTS

The rate of perinatal death per 1000 births was 0.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00-1.03) in the group of planned home births; the rate in the group of planned hospital births was 0.57 (95% CI 0.00-1.43) among women attended by a midwife and 0.64 (95% CI 0.00-1.56) among those attended by a physician. Women in the planned home-birth group were significantly less likely than those who planned a midwife-attended hospital birth to have obstetric interventions (e.g., electronic fetal monitoring, relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.29-0.36; assisted vaginal delivery, RR 0.41, 95% 0.33-0.52) or adverse maternal outcomes (e.g., third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.28-0.59; postpartum hemorrhage, RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.49-0.77). The findings were similar in the comparison with physician-assisted hospital births. Newborns in the home-birth group were less likely than those in the midwife-attended hospital-birth group to require resuscitation at birth (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14-0.37) or oxygen therapy beyond 24 hours (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.24-0.59). The findings were similar in the comparison with newborns in the physician-assisted hospital births; in addition, newborns in the home-birth group were less likely to have meconium aspiration (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.93) and more likely to be admitted to hospital or readmitted if born in hospital (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.09-1.85).

INTERPRETATION

Planned home birth attended by a registered midwife was associated with very low and comparable rates of perinatal death and reduced rates of obstetric interventions and other adverse perinatal outcomes compared with planned hospital birth attended by a midwife or physician.

Oxygen for treatment of severe pneumonia in The Gambia, West Africa: a situational analysis

SETTING

Health facilities in The Gambia, West Africa.

OBJECTIVES

Oxygen treatment is vital in pneumonia, the leading cause of death in children globally. There are shortages of oxygen in developing countries, but little information is available on the extent of the problem. We assessed national oxygen availability and use in The Gambia, a sub-Saharan African country.

METHODS

A government-led team visited 12 health facilities in The Gambia. A modified World Health Organization assessment tool was used to determine oxygen requirements, current provision and capacity to support effective oxygen use.

RESULTS

Eleven of the 12 facilities managed severe pneumonia. Oxygen was reliable in three facilities. Requirement and supply were often mismatched. Both oxygen concentrators and oxygen cylinders were used. Suboptimal electricity and maintenance made using concentrators difficult, while logistical problems and cost hampered cylinder use. Children were usually triaged by trained nurses who reported lack of training in oxygen use. Oxygen was given typically by nasal prongs; pulse oximetry was available in two facilities.

CONCLUSIONS

National data showed that oxygen availability did not meet needs in most Gambian health facilities. Remedial options must be carefully assessed for real costs, reliability and site-by-site usability. Training is needed to support oxygen use and equipment maintenance.

Early (< 8 days) postnatal corticosteroids for preventing chronic lung disease in preterm infants

BACKGROUND

Chronic lung disease (CLD) remains a major problem in neonatal intensive care units. Persistent inflammation in the lungs is the most likely underlying pathogenesis. Corticosteroids have been used to either prevent or treat CLD because of their potent anti-inflammatory effects.

OBJECTIVES

To determine if postnatal corticosteroid treatment is of benefit in the prevention of chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm infants. This review examines the outcome of trials where preterm infants at risk of CLD were given postnatal corticosteroids within the first seven days of life.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of postnatal corticosteroid therapy were sought from the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE (1966 - May 2008), hand searching paediatric and perinatal journals, examining previous review articles and information received from practising neonatologists. Authors of all studies were contacted, where possible, to confirm details of reported follow-up studies, or to obtain any information about long-term follow-up where none had been reported.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials of postnatal corticosteroid treatment within the first 7 days of life (early) in high risk preterm infants were selected for this review. Most studies evaluated the use of dexamethasone but we also included studies that assessed hydrocortisone, even if it was used to manage hypotension.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Data regarding clinical outcomes including mortality, CLD (including late rescue with corticosteroids, and need for home oxygen therapy), death or CLD, failure to extubate, complications during the primary hospitalisation (including infection, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, pulmonary air leak, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and long-term outcome (including blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy and major neurosensory disability) were abstracted and analysed using RevMan 5.

MAIN RESULTS

Twenty-eight RCTs enrolling a total of 3740 participants were eligible for inclusion in this review. A meta-analysis of these trials demonstrated significant benefits as regards earlier extubation and decreased risks of CLD at both 28 days and 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA), death or CLD at 28 days and 36 weeks' PMA, PDA and ROP, including severe ROP. There were no significant differences in the rates of neonatal or subsequent mortality, infection, severe IVH, PVL, NEC or pulmonary haemorrhage. Gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation were important adverse effects and the risks of hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and growth failure were also increased. In the twelve trials that reported late outcomes, several adverse neurological effects were found at follow-up examinations including developmental delay (not defined), cerebral palsy and abnormal neurological examination. However, major neurosensory disability was not significantly increased, either overall in the seven studies where this outcome could be determined, or in the two individual studies where the rates of cerebral palsy or abnormal neurological examination were significantly increased. Moreover, the rates of the combined outcomes of death or cerebral palsy, or of death or major neurosensory disability were not significantly increased. Dexamethasone was the drug used in most studies (n = 20); only eight studies used hydrocortisone. In subgroup analyses by type of corticosteroid, most of the beneficial and harmful effects were attributable to dexamethasone; hydrocortisone had little effect on any outcomes except for an increase in intestinal perforation and a borderline reduction in PDA.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The benefits of early postnatal corticosteroid treatment (</= 7 days), particularly dexamethasone, may not outweigh the known or potential adverse effects of this treatment. Although early corticosteroid treatment facilitates extubation and reduces the risk of chronic lung disease and patent ductus arteriosus, it causes short-term adverse effects including gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and growth failure. Long-term follow-up studies report an increased risk of abnormal neurological examination and cerebral palsy. However, the methodological quality of the studies determining long-term outcomes is limited in some cases; the surviving children have been assessed predominantly before school age, and no study has been sufficiently powered to detect important adverse long-term neurosensory outcomes. There is a compelling need for the long-term follow-up and reporting of late outcomes, especially neurological and developmental outcomes, among surviving infants who participated in all randomised trials of early postnatal corticosteroid treatment. Hydrocortisone in the doses and regimens used in the reported RCTs has few beneficial or harmful effects and cannot be recommended for prevention of CLD.

[Effects of nurse home visits on compliance to long-term oxygen therapy. 14 months follow-up]

INTRODUCTION

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is the only treatment improving survival of patients with respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Benefits of treatment depend mainly on daily duration of oxygen use. The aim of the study was to assess daily use of oxygen and to evaluate influencing factors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Consecutive patients qualified to LTOT were included. Eligibility for LTOT was based on the ATS//ERS guidelines. All patients were instructed to use oxygen from oxygen concentrator for 15 hours per day or more. Duration of oxygen therapy was verified every 4 weeks by visiting respiratory nurse using counter clock of oxygen concentrator. The nurses were also encouraging patients to breathe oxygen for at least 15 h/d.

RESULTS

Study group consisted of 30 patients (77% with COPD) aged 67+/-9 yrs, mean FEV, 46+/-18% pred., RV%TLC 64+/-16%, PaO2 50+/-6 mm Hg. Mean duration of oxygen therapy for the group was 12.5+/-4.6 h/d. Eleven (37%) subjects followed prescription during whole follow-up period (mean oxygen use 17.4+/-2.6 h/d). Mean oxygen use in the non-compliant group was 9.6+/-2.7 h/d. In COPD group compliant patients had significantly lower TLC (100+/-19% pred. v. 152+/-36% pred., p=0.001) and lower PaCO2 (38+/-6 mm Hg v. 47+/-8 mm Hg, p<0.05) when compared to the non-compliant group. During the first month of treatment 48% of patients were compliant. From the second month onward percentage of compliant patients fell to 30% and remained stable to the end of the study. Fourteen patients (47% complained of electricity consumption and 7 patients (23%) complained of the noise of working concentrator. Daily oxygen use in the latest group was significantly lower when compared to those who did not complain of the noise (9+/-3.7 h/d v. 13.5+/-4.4 h/d; p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The best compliance to home oxygen therapy is observed at the beginning of treatment. Frequent home nurse visits do not improve compliance. We hypothesize that the use of other oxygen sources eg. liquid oxygen, that are silent and do not increase the cost of electricity, could improve compliance.

Nasal CPAP or intubation at birth for very preterm infants

BACKGROUND

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is associated with ventilation and oxygen treatment. This randomized trial investigated whether nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), rather than intubation and ventilation, shortly after birth would reduce the rate of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very preterm infants.

METHODS

We randomly assigned 610 infants who were born at 25-to-28-weeks' gestation to CPAP or intubation and ventilation at 5 minutes after birth. We assessed outcomes at 28 days of age, at 36 weeks' gestational age, and before discharge.

RESULTS

At 36 weeks' gestational age, 33.9% of 307 infants who were assigned to receive CPAP had died or had bronchopulmonary dysplasia, as compared with 38.9% of 303 infants who were assigned to receive intubation (odds ratio favoring CPAP, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 1.12; P=0.19). At 28 days, there was a lower risk of death or need for oxygen therapy in the CPAP group than in the intubation group (odds ratio, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.88; P=0.006). There was little difference in overall mortality. In the CPAP group, 46% of infants were intubated during the first 5 days, and the use of surfactant was halved. The incidence of pneumothorax was 9% in the CPAP group, as compared with 3% in the intubation group (P<0.001). There were no other serious adverse events. The CPAP group had fewer days of ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS

In infants born at 25-to-28-weeks' gestation, early nasal CPAP did not significantly reduce the rate of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia, as compared with intubation. Even though the CPAP group had more incidences of pneumothorax, fewer infants received oxygen at 28 days, and they had fewer days of ventilation. (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, 12606000258550.).

Down syndrome: a novel risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis--a prospective birth-cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Respiratory syncytial virus is the single-most important cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. Preterm birth and congenital heart disease are known risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus infections. Although Down syndrome is associated with a high risk of respiratory tract infections, little is known about the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus infections in this group. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection-associated hospitalization among children with Down syndrome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective observational study and a prospective nationwide birth-cohort study of children with Down syndrome. The retrospective cohort comprised 176 children with Down syndrome. A birth cohort of 219 children with Down syndrome was prospectively followed until 2 years of age. All 276 siblings of the birth cohort were used as controls.

RESULTS

Of the 395 patients with Down syndrome, 180 (45.6%) had a known risk factor for severe respiratory syncytial virus infections; 39 (9.9%) of these were hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections. Two control children (0.7%) versus 9 term children with Down syndrome without congenital heart disease (7.6%) were hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections. The median duration of hospitalization was 10 days; mechanical ventilation was required for 5 children (12.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that Down syndrome is a novel independent risk factor for severe respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections. These findings should prompt studies to investigate possible mechanisms that underlie severe respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections in children with Down syndrome. The effect of respiratory syncytial virus prophylaxis in this specific population needs to be established.

Survival and future need of long-term oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—gender differences

We aimed to study trends in gender-related differences in incidence, and prevalence for long-term oxygen therapy due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Another aim was to study survival after onset of oxygen therapy. Prospectively followed were 5689 Swedish patients, who were prescribed oxygen therapy because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from 1987 to 2000. The annual incidence of women starting oxygen therapy increased more rapidly than that in men. In 2000, 7.6 per 100,000 women started treatment compared with 7.1 in men. The frequency of ever smoking in Sweden in the age group receiving oxygen, i.e. age 65-84 years, was 36.4% in women and 65.0% in men, indicating that women ran a higher risk of developing an oxygen-requiring chronic hypoxaemia. An increase in women requiring oxygen therapy is predicted due to the increase in smoking frequency in young and middle-aged women and it is estimated that about 70% of Swedish patients on oxygen in 2026 will be women, with an estimated prevalence of 61 per 100,000. In conclusion, the incidence and prevalence for long-term oxygen therapy increases more rapidly among women than in men. This is probably due to the increased frequency of smoking in women compared with men and a higher susceptibility to develop severe hypoxaemia in women. The survival is better in women with long-term oxygen therapy than in men.

Domiciliary oxygen therapy services in Tasmania: prescription, usage and impact of a specialist clinic

OBJECTIVE

To assess the use of domiciliary oxygen therapy (DOT) in Tasmania and the impact of a specialist oxygen clinic on service provision.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Patients prescribed government-funded DOT in Tasmania between December 2002 and April 2004.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Indications for DOT; usage, prescription, reassessment and costs of DOT; influence of a specialist-run oxygen clinic.

RESULTS

490 patients were using DOT, an overall rate of 102 patients per 100 000 population (varying between regions from 95 to 116 per 100 000 population). Of 267 patients (54%) prescribed DOT during hospitalisation, only 72% met national guidelines for DOT at commencement. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the most common indication (48% of prescriptions). The median time to reassessment after prescription was 5.5 months. Median usage in patients with COPD was 18.3 hours per day. The average cost per patient was $1498 per year, but differed regionally in relation to costs of ambulatory supplies. The oxygen clinic in the north-west region substantially reduced oxygen prescriptions, improved compliance with guidelines, decreased time to first reassessment from 21 to 6.6 months, and produced major cost savings.

CONCLUSIONS

Prescription of DOT was often not in keeping with national guidelines. Reassessment was poor, despite more than half the patients being prescribed DOT as an inpatient. A dedicated oxygen clinic resulted in more appropriate prescription, decreased time to reassessment and a reduction in costs.

RSI in pediatric anesthesia - is it used by nonpediatric anesthetists? A survey from south-west England

BACKGROUND

Rapid sequence induction (RSI) is the 'gold standard' technique for preventing aspiration of gastric contents during induction of anesthesia in unfasted patients. We conducted a survey to discover whether the conduct of RSI in children varies amongst anesthetists and if practice alters in relation to the time since training or degree of ongoing experience.

METHODS

Six hundred and fifteen questionnaires were sent to anesthetists in the south-west of England.

RESULTS

The response rate was 61%. Preoxygenation was utilized by 83% of anesthetists for infants whereas 94% preoxygenated schoolchildren, P < 0.001. Only 59% of respondents used cricoid pressure in infants, compared with 96% in schoolchildren, P < 0.001. Propofol was the induction agent of choice for all anesthetists, although thiopentone was used more in infants (35%) than schoolchildren (9%), P < 0.001. Suxamethonium was widely used in all children. All anesthetists intubated patients for pyloromyotomy, 50% using cricoid pressure. RSI was performed by 86% of anesthetists for appendicectomy, with consultants most likely to deviate from a standard RSI. Sixty percent of anesthetists intubated for manipulation of forearm, 72% performing an RSI, 53% intubated for scrotal exploration, but only 42% performed an RSI.

CONCLUSIONS

Classical RSI is used for children by most anesthetists in south-west England. RSI is modified for infants especially by more recently trained consultants. Suxamethonium is used less by consultant anesthetists. Whilst RSI is performed for appendicectomy there is a large variation in techniques for anesthetizing children for MUA and scrotal exploration which is independent of the grade of anesthetist.

Long term oxygen therapy adherence and COPD: what we don't know

Persons utilizing long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) at home suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Adherence to LTOT ranges from 45% to 70% and utilization of 15 hours per day is widely accepted as efficacious. Although studies have reviewed the level of patient adherence with LTOT, few have introduced or evaluated interventions. The paucity of information regarding patients following oxygen prescription is an enormous void that must be tackled to augment clinical effectiveness and cost containment for the long term. A research agenda for LTOT adherence is postulated to help connect treatment adherence variables and concepts with clinical outcomes and quality of life.

Hypoxaemia among children in rural hospitals in Papua New Guinea: epidemiology and resource availability--a study to support a national oxygen programme

AIMS

To support a national approach to oxygen systems in Papua New Guinea, we conducted a study to document the incidence of hypoxaemia, its geographical distribution, epidemiological determinants and resource availability in several regions of the country. We also established baseline mortality rate data for all children admitted to five hospitals, for children with a diagnosis of pneumonia and for neonates to evaluate a future intervention.

METHODS

Data were collected prospectively from over 1300 hospital admissions in five hospitals in 2004. To establish the baseline case fatality rates, data on outcome were collected retrospectively over 3 years (2001-2003) for over 20,000 children admitted to five hospitals.

RESULTS

A total of 1313 admissions were studied prospectively in the five hospitals. Altogether, 384 (29.25%, 95% CI 26.8-31.8) had hypoxaemia, defined as SpO(2) <90%. The incidence of hypoxaemia was much greater in highland hospitals (40% of all admissions) than on the coast (10% of all admissions). This large difference in incidence persisted when the uniform definition of hypoxaemia was adjusted for altitude, and was largely because of differences in the incidence of acute respiratory tract infection. Oxygen was not available on the day of admission for 22% of children (range between hospitals, 3-38), including 13% of all children with hypoxaemia. Oxygen was less available in remote rural district hospitals than in provincial hospitals in regional towns. Clinical signs proposed by WHO as indicators for oxygen would have missed 29% of children with hypoxaemia and, if these clinical signs were used, 30% of children without hypoxaemia would have been considered in need of supplemental oxygen.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on this study, an approach to improving the detection of hypoxaemia and the availability of oxygen has been trialled in these five hospitals where a programme of clinical and technical training in the use and maintenance of pulse oximetry and oxygen concentrators has been introduced.

[Long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy (LTOT) in Poland in the years 1986-2005]

INTRODUCTION

Long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy (LTOT) is part to of pulmonary care system. Uniform qualification criteria and methods of follow-up for patients undergoing LTOT have been adopted. There are 63 LTOT centres located in Poland run by specialists in pulmonology. On the occasion of 20 years of LTOT in Poland, an analysis of its development, number of patients treated, diagnoses, survival and equipment was performed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data were taken from structurized LTOT centres reports.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

A history of LTOT may be divided into 3 periods, steady grow in the years 1986-1991, stagnation between 1992-2000 and rapid grow in the last 3 years. On 01.01.2006 there was 2601 patients receiving LTOT therapy. The most common diagnosis was COPD (85%) followed by kyphoscolisis (5%), TB sequels (4.6%), IPF (3.6%) and other rare diseases. Treatment is reimbursed by the National Health System. Oxygen is administered via an oxygen concentrator. Due to insufficient resources from the NHS the needs for LTOT treatment are not fulfilled. There are 8.4 patients treated with LTOT per 100 000 people, with large regional differences ranging from 3.7 to 14.9/100 000. The most frequent cause of death in patients receiving LTOT treatment was exacerbation of respiratory failure (71.3%), followed by sudden death (5.1%), myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism (4.4%), lung cancer (4%) and other or not known causes (15.2%). Survival in patients receiving LTOT treatment from the years 1986-1995 was rather short: 54.6% survived less than 3 years, 3-4 years survived 13.3%, 4-5 years 11.3% and more than 5 years survived 19.7% of treated patients.