Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association
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To compare the utility of procalcitonin (PCT) vs C-reactive protein (CRP) as indicators of late-onset neonatal sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. ⋯ PCT (0.5 ng/ml) is more sensitive than CRP in predicting late-onset sepsis in VLBW infants.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of pressure support during an acute reduction of synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation in preterm infants.
During weaning of synchronized intermittent mandatory rate in preterm infants, the spontaneous breaths must overcome the resistance of the endotracheal tube and the disease-induced respiratory loads. Pressure Support (PS) can be used as an adjunct to synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) to partially unload the spontaneous breaths. ⋯ Assistance of the spontaneous breaths with pressure support maintained gas exchange. PS of 6 cm H(2)O prevented an increase in breathing effort during an acute 50% reduction in SIMV rate.
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Comparative Study
Foot pulse oximeter perfusion index correlates with calf muscle perfusion measured by near-infrared spectroscopy in healthy neonates.
In critically ill neonates, peripheral perfusion and oxygenation assessment may provide indirect information on the circulatory failure of vital organs during circulatory shock. The development of pulse oximetry has recently made it possible to calculate the perfusion index (PI), obtained from the ratio between the pulsatile and nonpulsatile signals of absorbed light. The main goals of this study were: (1) to study foot PI; and (2) to evaluate the relationship between foot PI, obtained continuously by pulse oximetry, and a number of variables, i.e. blood flow (BF), oxygen delivery (DO(2)), oxygen consumption (VO(2)), and fractional oxygen extraction (FOE), measured indirectly by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on the calf in 43 healthy term neonates (weight 3474.6 +/- 466.9 g; gestational age 39.1 +/- 1.4 weeks). ⋯ In the neonatal intensive care unit, continuously measuring foot PI by pulse oximetry seems clinically more feasible for peripheral perfusion monitoring than spot measurements of the calf BF and/or VO(2) by indirect NIRS.