Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Sep 2009
Rapid quantitative procalcitonin measurement to diagnose nosocomial infections in newborn infants.
Serum procalcitonin (PCT) monitoring may help clinicians to manage nosocomial infections in neonates. This study investigated the diagnostic value of a new, rapid method to measure PCT and sought to determine the best cut-off value. ⋯ Rapid measurement of PCT could help to rule out nosocomial infection in newborn infants hospitalised in intensive care units.
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Sep 2009
Very preterm children show impairments across multiple neurodevelopmental domains by age 4 years.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with preterm birth are of major health and educational concern. This study examined the neuromotor, cognitive, language and emotional/behavioural outcomes of a regional cohort of 4-year-old children born extremely preterm (EPT: 23-27 weeks' gestation), very preterm (VPT: 28-33 weeks) and full term (FT: 38-41 weeks). Of particular interest were children's risks of impairment across multiple neurodevelopmental domains. ⋯ A substantial proportion of preschool children born very preterm show clinically significant problems in at least one neurodevelopmental domain, with impairment in multiple domains being common. There is a need to monitor preschool development across a range of functional domains and to consider the likely cascading effects of multiple impairments on later development.
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Sep 2009
Multicenter StudyPremedication before intubation in UK neonatal units: a decade of change?
To ascertain the prevalence of premedication before intubation and the choice of drugs used in UK neonatal units in 2007 and assess changes in practice since 1998. ⋯ There has been substantial growth over the last decade in the number of UK neonatal units that provide some premedication for non-emergent newborn intubation, increasing from 37% in 1998 to 93% in 2007. This includes a concomitant increase in the use of paralytic drugs from 22% to 78%. However, the variety of drugs used merits further research.
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Sep 2009
Assist control volume guarantee ventilation during surfactant administration.
To measure changes in ventilator parameters in preterm infants receiving surfactant during assist control volume guarantee (AC/VG) ventilation. ⋯ When giving surfactant during AC/VG ventilation, complete obstruction is common. PIPs increased and remain elevated for 30-60 min. The Pmax setting may restrict tidal volume delivery.
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Jul 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialRandomised crossover trial of four nasal respiratory support systems for apnoea of prematurity in very low birthweight infants.
Apnoea of prematurity (AOP) is a common problem in preterm infants which can be treated with various modes of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). It is not known which mode of NCPAP or NIPPV is most effective for AOP. ⋯ A variable flow NCPAP device may be more effective in treating AOP in preterm infants than a conventional ventilator in NIPPV mode. It remains unclear whether synchronised NIPPV would be even more effective.