Hemodynamic management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: the role of targeted neonatal echocardiography

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a major congenital anomaly, resulting from the herniation of abdominal contents into the thoracic cavity, thereby impeding the proper development of the lungs and pulmonary vasculature. CDH severity correlates with a spectrum of pulmonary hypoplasia, pulmonary hypertension (PHT), and cardiac dysfunction, constituting the pathophysiological triad of this complex condition. The accurate diagnosis and effective management of PHT and cardiac dysfunction is pivotal to optimizing patient outcomes. Targeted neonatal echocardiography is instrumental in delivering real-time data crucial for the bespoke, pathophysiology-targeted hemodynamic management of CDH-associated PHT.

Outcome of Late-onset Neonatal Sepsis at a Tertiary Hospital in Oman

Objectives

We sought to determine the prevalence, pattern of causative organisms, and mortality of newborns with culture-proven late-onset sepsis (LOS) and to determine and compare the risk factors linked to late-onset gram-positive and late-onset gram-negative sepsis in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH).

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of data obtained between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2014 (eight years) from infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at SQUH. Infants born in SQUH (inborn) and other institutions (outborn) with positive blood cultures were included in the study.

Results

The total number of live births and admissions during the study period were 26 289 and 3559, respectively. The total number of infants identified with LOS were 125 of whom 69 (55.2%) were gram-positive, 52 (41.6%) were gram-negative, and four (3.2%) were due to Candida species (spp.). The majority of infants (n = 113, 90.4%) were inborn; 69 (55.2%) were males and 56 (44.8%) were females. The prevalence of LOS among inborn admissions was 4.3 per 1000 live births. Most infections occurred in very low birth weight infants (n = 81, 64.8%). Eleven (8.8%) infants died due to gram-negative sepsis. Klebsiella pneumoniae followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the leading cause of death. Maternal intrapartum antibiotics were the only independent risk factor correlating with gram-negative organisms in multivariate analysis (p = 0.003).

Conclusions

LOS poses a burden in the NICU, which could be due to the increasing survival of premature babies. The main contributing organisms to LOS are gram-positive bacteria. Klebsiella spp. is a major cause of mortality in LOS. The use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in mothers might explain the positive correlation of maternal antibiotics as a risk factor with gram-negative infections.

Metabolic and Hypertensive Complications of Pregnancy in Women with Nephrolithiasis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Kidney stones are associated with future development of hypertension, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to assess whether stone formation before pregnancy was associated with metabolic and hypertensive complications in pregnancy. We hypothesized that stone formation is a marker of metabolic disease and would be associated with higher risk for maternal complications in pregnancy.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who delivered infants at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 2006 to 2015. Women with abdominal imaging (computed tomography or ultrasound) before pregnancy were included in the analysis. Pregnancy outcomes in women with documented kidney stones on imaging (stone formers, n=166) were compared with those of women without stones on imaging (controls, n=1264). Women with preexisting CKD, hypertension, and diabetes were excluded.

RESULTS

Gestational diabetes and preeclampsia were more common in stone formers than nonstone formers (18% versus 6%, respectively; P<0.001 and 16% versus 8%, respectively; P=0.002). After multivariable adjustment, previous nephrolithiasis was associated with higher risks of gestational diabetes (adjusted odds ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 5.3) and preeclampsia (adjusted odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 3.6). Infants of stone formers were born earlier (38.7±2.0 versus 39.2±1.7 weeks, respectively; P=0.01); however, rates of small for gestational age offspring and neonatal intensive care admission were similar between groups (8% versus 7%, respectively; P=0.33 and 10% versus 6%, respectively; P=0.08). First trimester body mass index significantly influenced the association between stone disease and hypertensive complications of pregnancy: in a multivariable linear regression model, stone formation acted as an effect modifier of the relationship between maximum systolic BP in the third trimester and body mass index (P interaction <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In women without preexisting diabetes, hypertension, and CKD, a history of nephrolithiasis was associated with gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, especially in women with high first trimester body mass index.

Research ethics committee decision-making in relation to an efficient neonatal trial

OBJECTIVE

Randomised controlled trials, a gold-standard approach to reduce uncertainties in clinical practice, are growing in cost and are often slow to recruit. We determined whether methodological approaches to facilitate large, efficient clinical trials were acceptable to UK research ethics committees (RECs).

DESIGN

We developed a protocol in collaboration with parents, for a comparative-effectiveness, randomised controlled trial comparing two widely used blood transfusion practices in preterm infants. We incorporated four approaches to improve recruitment and efficiency: (i) point-of-care design using electronic patient records for patient identification, randomisation and data acquisition, (ii) short two-page information sheet; (iii) explicit mention of possible inclusion benefit; (iv) opt-out consent with enrolment as the default. With the support of the UK Health Research Authority, we submitted an identical protocol to 12 UK REC.

SETTING

RECs in the UK.

MAIN OUTCOME

Number of REC granting favourable opinions.

RESULTS

The use of electronic patient records was acceptable to all RECs; one REC raised concerns about the short parent information sheet, 10 about inclusion benefit and 9 about opt-out consent. Following responses to queries, nine RECs granted a favourable final opinion and three rejected the application because they considered the opt-out consent process invalid.

CONCLUSIONS

A majority of RECs in this study consider the use of electronic patient record data, short information sheets, opt-out consent and mention of possible inclusion benefit to be acceptable in neonatal comparative-effectiveness research. We identified a need for guidance for RECs in relation to opt-out consent processes. These methods provide opportunity to facilitate large randomised controlled trials.

Changes in Survival Rate for Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants in Korea: Comparison with Other Countries

Recently the Korean Neonatal Network (KNN) was established in order to enhance treatment outcomes further through the registration of very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWI) data. The present study was conducted on 2,606 VLBWI, 2,386 registered and 220 un-registered, in the KNN participating centers, with the objective of reporting on recent survival rates of VLBWI in Korea and verifying the changing trends in survival rates with data from the 1960s and beyond. The study also aimed to compare the premature infants' survival rate in Korea with those reported in neonatal networks of other countries. The recent survival rate of VLBWI increased more than twice from 35.6% in the 1960s to 84.8%, and the survival rate of the extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) increased by more than 10 times, indicating improvement of the survival rate in premature infants with lower birth weight and gestational age. Comparison of VLBWI between countries showed improved survival rates according to each birth weight group in Canada, Australia-New Zealand, and European countries with Japan at the head, but in terms of comparison based on gestational age, differences, except for Japan, have been reduced. Efforts to increase the survival rate of premature infants in Korea with low birth rate are inevitable, and they should be the foundation of academic and clinical development based on its network with advanced countries.

Risk factors for periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants

Periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (PV-IVH) is a major cause of neurological disabilities in preterm newborns. This study aimed to determine the perinatal factors associated with PV-IVH. We conducted a retrospective case-control study from preterm infants born at < or =34 weeks of gestation and admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Seoul National University Children's Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between June 2003 and December 2007. Neonates with no cranial sonographic data or infants transferred from other centers after three days of age were excluded. Of 1,044 eligible subjects, 59 infants with PV-IVH grade 2, 3, and 4 were allocated to the case group. The control group consisted of 118 infants without PV-IVH who were matched for gestational age and birth weight to each case of PV-IVH. At the multivariate logistic regression model, metabolic acidosis (odds ratio [OR]: 6.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-43.23) and use of inotropes (OR: 3.70; 95% CI: 1.16-11.84) were associated with an increased risk of PV-IVH. Maternal use of antenatal corticosteroids decreases the risk of PV-IVH (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14-0.92).