Table of contents

Original research

• Antenatal corticosteroids and neurodevelopmental outcomes in late preterm births (29 September, 2021)

  Amir Aviram, Kellie Murphy, Sarah McDonald, Elizabeth Asztalos, Arthur Zaltz, Donald Redelmeier, Baiju Shah, Jon Barrett, Nir Melamed

  In a large population-based dataset of live births at 34-36 weeks' gestation born 2006-2011, exposure to antenatal corticosteroids earlier in gestation may be associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental concerns and healthcare utilization at 5-9 years.

• Temporal trends in routine predischarge pulse oximetry screening: 6 years’ experience in a UK regional neonatal unit (22 October, 2021) Free

  Amy Henderson, Diana Aguirre, Anju Singh, Andrew K Ewer

  This large retrospective review of over 49,000 infants examines the impact of routine pulse oximetry screening in a regional neonatal unit. Improvements in detection rates of congenital heart disease were seen, together with a reduction in the admission of healthy babies.

• Assessment of optimal chest compression depth during neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a randomised controlled animal trial (30 July, 2021)

  Marlies Bruckner, Seung Yeon Kim, Gyu Hong Shim, Mattias Neset, Catalina Garcia-Hidalgo, Tze-Fun Lee, Megan O'Reilly, Po-Yin Cheung, Georg M Schmölzer

  In an asphyxiated piglet model, time to return of spontaneous circulation was similar for chest compressions 25%, 33%, and 40% anterior-posterior depth, while Increasing compression depth improved hemodynamic and respiratory parameters.

• Outcomes of very preterm infants with neonatal hyperglycaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis (30 July, 2021)

  Chandra Prakash Rath, Madhusudhan Shivamallappa, Saravanan Muthusamy, Shripada C Rao, Sanjay Patole

  In a systematic review and meta-analysis, hyperglycemia in very preterm infants is associated with higher odds of mortality, IVH, and ROP.

• Individualised decision making: interpretation of risk for extremely preterm infants—a survey of UK neonatal professionals (19 August, 2021)

  Katherine Wood, Lydia Mietta Di Stefano, Helen Mactier, Sarah Elizabeth Bates, Dominic Wilkinson

  Topical and important insight into the current state of play in the UK regarding active management at the limit of viability.

• Comparison of three intraosseous access devices for resuscitation of term neonates: a randomised simulation study (2 August, 2021)

  Alon Keller, Amit Boukai, Oren Feldman, Raz Diamand, Itai Shavit

  Three different devices for intra-osseous access during were evaluated in a bone model intended to simulate insertion in term newborns. A total of 92 paediatricians were involved. Success rates were markedly different between devices.

• Monitoring of carbon dioxide in ventilated neonates: a prospective observational study (3 August, 2021)

  Tobias Werther, Lukas Aichhorn, Sina Stellberg, Francesco Stefano Cardona, Katrin Klebermass-Schrehof, Angelika Berger, Georg M Schmölzer, Michael Wagner

  This study comparing the precision and accuracy of end-tidal and transcutaneous pCO2 with arterial measurements found that end-tidal CO2, measured through a double-lumen ET tube in ventilated neonates, was superior to tcpCO2.

• Identification of treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity by neonatal nurse specialist (23 August, 2021)

  Janette Ravelo, Gillian Adams, Shahid Husain

  This study demonstrates that screening for retinopathy of prematurity treatment can be performed by a specialist nurse practitioner obtaining and interpreting digital retinal images, with excellent agreement with treating ophthalmologists.

• Implementation of an adapted Sepsis Risk Calculator algorithm to reduce antibiotic usage in the management of early onset neonatal sepsis: a multicentre initiative in Wales, UK (22 September, 2021)

  Nitin Goel, Stephanie Cannell, Gemma Davies, Murali Sridhar Natti, Vickness Kirupaalar, Artur Abelian, Shakir Saeed, Rhian Smith, Ravi Manikonda, Prem Kumar Pitchaikani, Dawn Davies, Rachel May Morris, Lynsey Edwards, Roopashree Govindaraju, Kate Creese, Jane Jones, Jalil Choudhary, Sarah Rowley, Chidambaram Sethuraman, Helen Muxworthy, Felicity Curtis, Patricia Donnelly, Manohar Joishy, Ian Barnard, Celyn Kenny, Rajarshi Pal, Karen Jones, Sujoy Banerjee

  Antibiotic use in the newborn may have long lasting impact. Neonatal sepsis is relatively rare but one which causes concern, investigation and treatment. This paper describes the implementation of an sepsis risk calculator to reduce antibiotic use in a safe and sustainable way.

• Comparison of intraosseous and intravenous epinephrine administration during resuscitation of asphyxiated newborn lambs (30 August, 2021)

  Calum T Roberts, Sarah Klink, Georg M Schmölzer, Douglas A Blank, Shiraz Badurdeen, Kelly J Crossley, Karyn Rodgers, Valerie Zahra, Alison Moxham, Charles Christoph Roehr, Martin Kluckow, Andrew William Gill, Stuart B Hooper, Graeme R Polglase

  When intravenous access is not easily attainable, recommendations are to use intra-osseus as an alternative route for adrenaline administration in neonatal resuscitation. In an non-randomized trial in a lamb model, these two delivery routes were equivalent in terms of success in resuscitation and serum adrenaline levels.

• Mortality and significant neurosensory impairment in preterm infants: an international comparison (11 September, 2021)

  Marie Chevallier, Thierry Debillon, Brian A Darlow, Anne R Synnes, Véronique Pierrat, Elizabeth Hurrion, Junmin Yang, Anne Ego, Pierre Yves Ancel, Kei Lui, Prakeshkumar S Shah, Thuy Mai Luu, Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN), Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), Canadian Neonatal Follow-Up Network (CNFUN)

  The composite outcome of mortality and significant neurodisability in extremely low birth weight infants is compared across 3 different international cohorts (Canada, Australia/New Zealand, France). The composite outcome was higher in the French cohort, driven by a higher mortality.

• Neonates with mild hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy receiving supportive care versus therapeutic hypothermia in California (30 August, 2021)

  Leah Yieh, Henry Lee, Tianyao Lu, Ashley Song, Cynthia L Gong, Tai-Wei Wu, Philippe Friedlich, Ashwini Lakshmanan, Dmitry Dukhovny, Joel Hay

  This manuscript reports trends in the use of therapeutic hypothermia for babies with mild HIE in the NICUs in the CPQCC catchment, and assesses odds ratios for maternal and infant factors associated with the use of TH. There was an increase in the use of TH for mild HIE increased over time as a form of therapeutic creep.

• Neonatal-onset mitochondrial disease: clinical features, molecular diagnosis and prognosis (7 October, 2021)

  Tomohiro Ebihara, Taro Nagatomo, Yohei Sugiyama, Tomoko Tsuruoka, Yoshiteru Osone, Masaru Shimura, Makiko Tajika, Tetsuro Matsuhashi, Keiko Ichimoto, Ayako Matsunaga, Nana Akiyama, Minako Ogawa-Tominaga, Yukiko Yatsuka, Kazuhiro R Nitta, Yoshihito Kishita, Takuya Fushimi, Atsuko Imai-Okazaki, Akira Ohtake, Yasushi Okazaki, Kei Murayama

  The authors analyzed neonatal-onset mitochondrial disease in Japan via a retrospective observational study to clarify its clinical features, molecular diagnosis, and prognosis. The heterogeneous aetiology if the group is outlined.