Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association
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Nosocomial infections with coagulase negative staphylococcus (CoNS) are a frequent and significant cause of morbidity in the preterm infant. Infections diagnosed after the first 72 hours of life are arbitrarily deemed to be "nosocomial." There are many difficulties encountered in efforts to evaluate and compare nosocomial sepsis in the NICU. ⋯ Based on the frequency of positive blood cultures in infants less than 1000 g, it appears reasonable to evaluate methods for the prevention of nosocomial sepsis. These include prophylactic antibiotic administration, antiseptic impregnated catheters, and the use of an antibiotic lock technique.
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Epidural placement for labor in the general population of laboring women is associated with increased incidence of operative deliveries, prolongation of labor, and may be associated with an increased cesarean section rate. The risks and benefits associated with epidural placement for labor in the subpopulation of mothers at high risk for cesarean section have not been studied. ⋯ There is a sizable subpopulation of women at high risk for cesarean section whose babies may have better outcomes with epidural placement with no sacrifice in maternal outcomes or costs.
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The use of both warmer beds and incubators is common in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), and transferring between these two warming devices is a routine and necessary event. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a new hybrid-warming device, the Versalet, in transitioning a preterm animal from a warmer bed to an incubator mode and back. ⋯ Compared with the standard warming technique used in NICUs (separate warmer bed and incubator), the Versalet provides similar thermal and cardiovascular stability without adverse events during transition to different modes of warming. The degree to which this device would contribute to ease of management and improved outcomes in humans needs to be evaluated in a clinical trial.