Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Premature Infants with Extremely Low and Very Low Birth Weight at Three Years of Age: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The purpose of this retrospective study is to identify medical conditions impacting neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely low birth weight and very low birth weight preterm infants at three years of age. Methods: Infants born in Banner Diamond Children’s University Medical Center, receiving services in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, and attending Neonatal Developmental Follow-Up Clinic were identified. Participants received developmental assessment and follow-up from August 2012 through December 2018. Relevant clinical conditions during initial hospital stay and up to three years of age were obtained by reviewing medical and developmental records. Bayley Scales of Infant Toddler Development (Bayley III) was used to evaluate skill development at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 months. Results: Data analysis did not reveal significant p-values;it did demonstrate that some predictor variables impact neurodevelopmental outcomes in cognitive, language and motor skill development. Conclusion: This retrospective study reports significant association between birth weight and low cognitive scores. Correlations were also found between gestational age and Total Language, and the longer an infant stayed in the NICU, the poorer the Total Language Scaled Scores at 8 to 12 months, 15 to 18 months, and 24 to 36 months. Birth weight was found to be the greatest predictor of poor motor scores.

Mortality and Morbidity of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in the Mainland of China： A Multi-center Study

Background： With the progress ofperinatal medicine and neonatal technology, more and more extremely low birth weight （ELBW） survived all over the world. This study was designed to investigate the short-term ontcomes of ELBW infants during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit （NICU） stay in the mainland of China. Methods： All infants admitted to 26 NICUs with a birth weight （BW） 〈1000 g were included between January 1,2011 and December 31,2011. All the data were collected retrospectively from clinical records by a prospectively designed questionnaire. The data collected from each NICU transmitted to the main institution where the results were aggregated and analyzed. Categorical variables were performed with Pearson Chi-square test. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to detect risk factors. Results： A total of 258 ELBW infants were admitted to 26 NICUs, of whom the mean gestational age （GA） was 28.1 ± 2.2 weeks, and the mean BW was 868 ± 97 g. The overall survival rate at discharge was 50.0%. Despite aggressive treatment 60 infants （23.3%） died and another 69 infants （26.7%） died after medical care withdrawal. Furthermore, the survival rate was significantly higher in coastal areas than inland areas （53.6% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.019）. BW 〈750 g and GA 〈28 weeks were the largest risk factors, and being small for gestational age was a protective factor related to mortality. Respiratory distress syndrome was the most common complication. The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity was 26.2%, 33.7%, 6.7%, 48.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. Ventilator associated pneumonia was the most common hospital acquired infection during hospitalization. Conclusions： Our study was the first survey that revealed the present status of ELBW infants in the mainland of China. The mortality and morbidity of ELBW infants remained high as compared to other developed countries.

Delivery room resuscitation and short-term outcomes of extremely preterm and extremely low birth weight infants: a multicenter survey in North China

Background:Delivery room resuscitation assists preterm infants,especially extremely preterm infants(EPI)and extremely low birth weight infants(ELBWI),in breathing support,while it potentially exerts a negative impact on the lungs and outcomes of preterm infants.This study aimed to assess delivery room resuscitation and discharge outcomes of EPI and ELBWI in China.Methods:The clinical data of EPI(gestational age[GA]<28 weeks)and ELBWI(birth weight[BW]<1000 g),admitted within 72 h of birth in 33 neonatal intensive care units from five provinces and cities in North China between 2017 and 2018,were analyzed.The primary outcomes were delivery room resuscitation and risk factors for delivery room intubation(DRI).The secondary outcomes were survival rates,incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD),and risk factors for BPD.Results:A cohort of 952 preterm infants were enrolled.The incidence of DRI,chest compressions,and administration of epinephrine was 55.9%(532/952),12.5%(119/952),and 7.0%(67/952),respectively.Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factors for DRI were GA<28 weeks(odds ratio[OR],3.147;95%confidence interval[CI],2.082–4.755),BW<1000 g(OR,2.240;95%CI,1.606–3.125),and antepartum infection(OR,1.429;95%CI,1.044–1.956).The survival rate was 65.9%(627/952)and was dependent on GA.The rate of BPD was 29.3%(181/627).Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for BPD were male(OR,1.603;95% CI,1.061–2.424),DRI(OR,2.094;95% CI,1.328–3.303),respiratory distress syndrome exposed to≥2 doses of pulmonary surfactants(PS;OR,2.700;95%CI,1.679–4.343),and mechanical ventilation≥7 days(OR,4.358;95% CI,2.777–6.837).However,a larger BW(OR,0.998;95% CI,0.996–0.999),antenatal steroid(OR,0.577;95%CI,0.379–0.880),and PS use in the delivery room(OR,0.273;95%CI,0.160–0.467)were preventive factors for BPD(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Improving delivery room resuscitation and management of respiratory complications are imperative during early management of the health of EPI and ELBWI.

Respiratory management of extremely low birth weight infants: survey of neonatal specialists

Background:To investigate strategies used for the management of respiratory distress syndrome(RDS)and bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in extremely low birth weight(ELBW)infants.Methods:A survey of neonatal specialists working in US academic institutions with fellowship training programs.Results:Eighty percent(72/89)of the identifi ed academic institutions had at least one physician who responded to the survey.Among respondents,85%(171/201)agreed or strongly agreed to use continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)initially for the management of RDS,and the majority agreed or strongly agreed to use a fraction of inspired oxygen(FiO2)≥0.4 and a mean airway pressure(MAP)≥10 cm H2O as a criteria for surfactant therapy;and 73%(146/200)sometimes or always used caffeine to prevent BPD.Only 25%(50/202)sometimes or almost always used steroids to prevent or treat BPD.Identified indications to use steroids were 3 or more extubation failures or inability to extubate beyond 8 weeks of age.Conclusions:Variability in treatment strategies of ELBW is common among neonatal specialists.However,the majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed to use early CPAP for the management of RDS,consider a FiO2≥0.4 and a MAP≥10 cm H2O as criteria for surfactant therapy,and sometimes or almost always used caffeine to prevent BPD.Steroids continue to have a role in the management of BPD in infants who are diffi cult to extubate.

Fish oil-containing lipid emulsions prevention on parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in very low birth weight infants:a meta-analysis

Background The effect of fish oil-containing lipid emulsions on preventing parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis(PNAC)in very low birth weight(VLBW)infants is not known.Thus,we conducted a meta-analysis to identify any preven-tion effect.Methods PubMed,EMBASE,and CENTRAL were searched up to 26 January 2021 for studies related to the preventive effect of fish oil-containing lipid emulsions and fish oil-free lipid emulsions on cholestasis in VLBW infants.Revman 5.3 was used to synthesize the results.A fixed-effect model was used to summarize the data when the heterogeneity was non-significant(I2<50%),and a random-effects model was used when the heterogeneity was significant(I2>50%).Results Of 728 articles,11 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria.The meta-analysis indicated that fish oil-containing lipid emulsion reduced the occurrence of PNAC significantly with risk ratio(RR)=0.53,95%confidence interval(CI)0.36-0.80,P=0.002.The heterogeneity was non-significant with I2=23%.Subgroup analysis based on par-enteral nutrition duration and median birth weight was performed.The synthesis results for patients with parenteral nutri-tion duration exceeding 14 days revealed I2=35%(P=0.15)and pooled RR=0.47,95%CI 0.30-0.73,P=0.0008;and for patients with duration less than 14 days revealed I2=0%(P=0.72)and pooled RR=1.14,95%CI 0.39-3.35,P=0.81.The synthesis for patients with birth weight more than 1000 g revealed I2=0%(P=0.41)and pooled RR=0.55,95%CI 0.26-1.18,P=0.12;and for patients with birth weight below 1000 g revealed I2=44%(P=0.11)and pooled RR=0.53,95%CI 0.33-0.85,P=0.009.Conclusions The fish oil-containing lipid emulsion can reduce the occurrence of PNAC in VLBW infants based on the avail-able original randomized controlled trial studies,especially for patients with parenteral nutrition duration exceeding 14 days and extremely low birth weight infants.Future studies should be performed before a definitive conclusion can be established.

Prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity in Brunei Darussalam

AIM: To identify the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among preterm neonates admitted to Department of Neonatology, RIPAS hospital, Brunei Darussalam. ·METHODS: We studied 67 preterm infants fulfilling the eligibility criteria for ROP screening. All infants studied were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, RIPAS Hospital, within a period of one year. Birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), corrected age at each review, initial and final diagnoses and number of reviews required was recorded for each infant. Infants were followed up two weekly until they reach a corrected age of 40 weeks or complete vascularization was noted. Prevalence of ROP was identified. Descriptive analysis, regression analysis and independent-sample t-test were used to statistically check for differences between ROP and non -ROP groups. ·RESULTS: A total number of 201 ROP screenings were carried out for 67 preterm infants. Males outnumbered females (56.7%). The mean number of reviews per child was (3.19 ±1.1) times (range: 1 -6 times), the mean GA among the preterm babies examined was (29.5 ±2.6) weeks (range: 23 -36 weeks), and the mean BW was 1300 ±500g (range: 660 -3600g). The prevalence of ROP among the examined infants was 34.8% . Prevalence of threshold disease that required laser treatment was 25.4% . Prevalence of ROP among those with extremely low BW was 86.7% compared to 27.8% in those with very low BW. Respiratory distress and congenital heart diseases were significantly associated with higher incidence of ROP. ·CONCLUSION: Lower BW, lower GA and female gender are associated with higher risk of developing ROP among preterm infants in Brunei Darussalam.

Longitudinal Evaluation Nocturnal Sleep Behaviors of Healthy and Well Developed Children Born Prematurely

The aim of the study is to examine nocturnal sleep measures of healthy and well developed pre-term infants by birth weight when they were averaged 15 corrected months and became elementary school children. Sleep measures were collected by actigraphs (Micro-mini RC, Ambulatory Monitoring Inc., New York, USA). Nocturnal sleep quality of children born as extremely low birth weight (ELBW) was significantly inferior with that of children born as very low birth weight (VLBW) at 15 corrected months [number of night waking: 6.0 (4.5 - 8.0), ELBW 8.5 (7.0 - 10.3) (Z = 2.47, p < 0.01), wake after sleep onset: VLBW 99.0 (73.0 - 115.0) min, ELBW 146.5 (94.8 - 171.3) min (Z = 2.89, p < 0.01)]. However, these measures did not show any significant differences by birth weight at second data collection period [number of night waking: VLBW 0.0 (0.0-1.0), ELBW 1.0 (0.0 - 2.5) (Z = —0.62, n.s.), wake after sleep onset: VLBW 16.0 (8.0 - 27.0) min, ELBW 15.0 (6.0 - 32.5) min (Z = 0.00, n.s.)]. It was assumed that nocturnal measures were affected by the birth weight at the age of 15 corrected months in ELBW infants, but could not predict the future sleep problems at this point.