Hello Friends 👋
We are back after a week of absence. COVID has wrecked its way through our team and has caused us to fall behind on recording and releases. With this out of the way, we have an interesting journal club this week to share with you. We talk about Sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension and review a study out of India 🇮🇳 looking at the differences between IV vs PO sildenafil. We review a paper from Iran 🇮🇷 assessing the effects of head positioning in preterm infants on Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) parameters. We also talk about something that was new to us: Presepsin. This marker was reviewed in a meta-analysis in JAMA Peds and appears to be a good marker for early onset sepsis. We have a lot more article this week, so check out the episode and have a good week!
Oral versus intravenous sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension in neonates: a randomized trial - BMC Pediatrics
Background Sildenafil is the drug of choice for neonatal pulmonary hypertension in developing countries where inhaled nitric oxide is not available. Available as oral and intravenous preparation – no study has been done in the past to compare the two forms. Each has its own benefits – but requires c…
Chinmay Chetan
The effect of head positioning on brain tissue oxygenation in preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial study - Journal of Perinatology
Journal of Perinatology - The effect of head positioning on brain tissue oxygenation in preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial study
Zeinab Rabbani Mohamammadie
Presepsin for the Diagnosis of Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the use of presepsin for the diagnosis of neonatal early-onset sepsis.
For Authors
Initiation and duration of skin-to-skin contact for extremely and very preterm infants: A register study - PubMed
A minority of extremely and very preterm infants were exposed to skin-to-skin contact on the first postnatal day. Daily duration during the first week of life amounted to less than two hours. Initiation time and daily duration varied among gestational ages.
Agnes Linnér
Sodium supply from administered blood products was associated with severe intraventricular haemorrhage in extremely preterm infants - PubMed
Our results suggest a relationship between sodium-rich transfusions of blood products and severe IVH in EPT infants. It is unclear whether this is an effect of sodium load, volume load or some other transfusion-related factor.
Cornelia SpäthThrombocytopenia and insufficient thrombopoietin production in human small-for-gestational-age infants - PubMed
The immature platelet fraction was low, and serum thrombopoietin was not increased in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants with thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia in SGA infants is due to insufficient thrombopoietin production. This study is important for understanding the etiology of thrombocyto…
Satoru Takeshitahttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.16443
Postnatal Corticosteroids to Prevent or Treat Chronic Lung Disease Following Preterm Birth
The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to provide guidance on the use of postnatal corticosteroids to manage or prevent chronic lung disease following preterm birth (formerly referred to as bronchopulmonary dysplasia). Since the last revision of such guidance in 2010, several prospective rando…
James J. Cummings, MD, MS, FAAP
Longitudinal changes in lung function in very prematurely born young people receiving high-frequency oscillation or conventional ventilation from birth - PubMed
There was little evidence that the mode of ventilation affected changes in lung function over time.
Alessandra BisqueraDextrose Gel for Neonates at Risk With Asymptomatic Hypoglycemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial - PubMed
Dextrose gel reduces the need for intravenous fluids in at-risk neonates with asymptomatic hypoglycemia in the first 48 hours of life.
Kirti GuptaDetection and impact of genetic disease in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit - PubMed
The increased utilization of broad genetic testing improved the detection of genetic disease but contributed minimally to the cost of care while bolstering understanding of the patient’s condition and prognosis.
Leanne HagenUnderstanding the relative contributions of prematurity and congenital anomalies to neonatal mortality - Journal of Perinatology
Journal of Perinatology - Understanding the relative contributions of prematurity and congenital anomalies to neonatal mortality
Ciaran S. Phibbs