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Aim: A study reported that therapeutic hypothermia (TH) did not reduce the combined prognosis of mortality and disability at 18 months, in low- and middle-income countries for patients with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) who received TH, suggesting its no implementation in these regions. We described characteristics, mortality, and neurological response before and after the use of TH in newborns with HIE within the EpicLatino Neonatal Network (ENN) and described the population of infants with HIE treated and not treated with TH., Methods: Data were collected from 2015 to 2022 for patients with HIE. Mortality rates and Sarnat scores were compared before and after TH. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used for comparisons., Results: In this observational study 518 neonates of our total population of 26 970, had HIE (1.92%) of whom 150 underwent TH. Ten out of 21 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) provided TH. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test for 138 cases with complete data showed a significant difference., Conclusion: The findings support the benefits of TH in HIE within this cohort. TH should not be withheld solely due to the economic status of the country. A strict patient selection and TH protocol are essential., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)

Excessive antimicrobial use is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. In our cohort of 27,163 infants born at <33 weeks gestational age, the first week after birth accounted for the highest rates of antimicrobial use, and variability across sites persisted after adjustment for patient characteristics correlated with illness severity.

Since 2014, Costa Rica has faced a 'migration crisis' tied to the arrival of new asylum seekers from El Salvador, Venezuela and Colombia and transit migrants from Africa, Haiti and Cuba. This article examines representations of these groups through a qualitative analysis of newspaper coverage (2011-2017). Representations of these groups build on existing threat narratives to position transit migrants and asylum seekers as inherently dangerous, undeserving of public concern, and a drain on Costa Rican hospitality. These framings reinforce social and political boundaries and justify the exclusion of migrants and refugees from public resources., (© 2021 The Authors. Bulletin of Latin American Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for Latin American Studies.)

Background: Umbilical cord arterial and venous blood gas values reflect the acid-base balance status of a newborn at birth. Derangement in these values has been linked to poor neonatal outcomes in term and late preterm neonates; however, the utility of these values in preterm neonates of <29 weeks' gestation is unclear., Objective: This study aimed to determine the associations of umbilical cord arterial and venous blood gas values with neonatal mortality and severe neurologic injury in extremely preterm neonates and to identify the cutoff values associated with 2.5-fold increases or decreases in the posttest probabilities of outcomes., Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of neonates who were born at 23+0 to 28+6 weeks' gestation between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and who were admitted to neonatal units in Canada., Exposure: Various cut-offs of umbilical cord blood gas values and lactate values were studied., Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were mortality before discharge from the neonatal unit and severe neurologic injury defined as grade 3 or 4 periventricular or intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia. The outcome rates were calculated for various cutoff values of umbilical cord blood gas parameters and were adjusted for birthweight, gestational age, sex, and multiple births. Likelihood ratios were calculated to derive posttest probabilities., Results: A total of 1040 and 1217 neonates had analyzable umbilical cord arterial and venous blood gas values, respectively. In the cohort, the mean (standard deviation) gestational age was 26.5 (1.5) weeks, the mean birthweight was 936 (215) g, the prevalence of mortality was 10% (105/1040), and the prevalence of severe neurologic injury was 9% (92/1016). An umbilical cord arterial pH of ≤7.1 and base excess of ≤-12 mmol/L were associated with >2.5-fold higher posttest probability of mortality, and an umbilical cord arterial or venous lactate value of <3 was associated with a 2.5-fold lower posttest probability of mortality. An umbilical cord arterial lactate value of <3 was associated with a lower posttest probability of severe neurological injury., Conclusion: In preterm neonates of <29 weeks' gestation, low umbilical cord arterial pH and high umbilical cord arterial base excess values were associated with a clinically important increase in the posttest probability of mortality, whereas low umbilical cord arterial or venous lactate values were associated with a decrease in the posttest probability of mortality., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare short term respiratory outcomes in preterm infants treated with bovine lipid extract surfactant or poractant alfa., Study Design: Prospective comparative effectiveness cohort study of infants <32 weeks' gestational age requiring surfactant in thirteen centers. Each center provided bovine lipid extract surfactant for a set period of time in the year 2019 and then changed to poractant alfa for the remainder of the year. The primary outcome was total duration of respiratory support., Result: 968 infants were included. 494 received bovine lipid extract surfactant and 474 received poractant alfa. No difference was observed in the total duration of respiratory support (mechanical ventilation or non-invasive) (median 38 vs 40.5 days), need to re-dose surfactant, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, survival to discharge, or length of admission., Conclusion: In this pragmatic study, we did not identify any difference in short term outcomes between the groups based on the type of surfactant received., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Background: Global assessment of antimicrobial agents prescribed to infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may inform antimicrobial stewardship efforts., Methods: We conducted a one-day global point prevalence study of all antimicrobials provided to NICU infants. Demographic, clinical, and microbiologic data were obtained including NICU level, census, birth weight, gestational/chronologic age, diagnoses, antimicrobial therapy (reason for use; length of therapy), antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP), and 30-day in-hospital mortality., Findings: On July 1, 2019, 26% of infants (580/2,265; range, 0-100%; median gestational age, 33 weeks; median birth weight, 1800 g) in 84 NICUs (51, high-income; 33, low-to-middle income) from 29 countries (14, high-income; 15, low-to-middle income) in five continents received ≥1 antimicrobial agent (92%, antibacterial; 19%, antifungal; 4%, antiviral). The most common reasons for antibiotic therapy were "rule-out" sepsis (32%) and "culture-negative" sepsis (16%) with ampicillin (40%), gentamicin (35%), amikacin (19%), vancomycin (15%), and meropenem (9%) used most frequently. For definitive treatment of presumed/confirmed infection, vancomycin (26%), amikacin (20%), and meropenem (16%) were the most prescribed agents. Length of therapy for culture-positive and "culture-negative" infections was 12 days (median; IQR, 8-14) and 7 days (median; IQR, 5-10), respectively. Mortality was 6% (42%, infection-related). An NICU ASP was associated with lower rate of antibiotic utilization ( p  = 0·02)., Interpretation: Global NICU antibiotic use was frequent and prolonged regardless of culture results. NICU-specific ASPs were associated with lower antibiotic utilization rates, suggesting the need for their implementation worldwide., Funding: Merck & Co.; The Ohio State University College of Medicine Barnes Medical Student Research Scholarship., Competing Interests: Dr. Pablo J. Sánchez has received research grant support from Merck & Co. during the conduct of the study, and grant from MedImmune, Inc - AstraZeneca, outside of the submitted work. Dr. Pavel Prusakov has received research grant support from Merck & Co. and Pfizer. Dr. Debra A. Goff has received research grant support from Merck & Co. and Pfizer. Dr. Landgrave reports other support from GSK, outside the submitted work. Dr. Kekomäki reports grants and personal fees from Sanofi, grants and personal fees from Merck Sharp & Dome, other support from Pfizer, all outside of the submitted work. Dr. Mesa reports speaker fees from Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, outside of the submitted work. Mr. Wozniak received a Barnes Medical Student Research Scholarship grant from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The other authors have nothing to disclose., (© 2021 The Authors.)

To be time and resource efficient in neonatal research and to answer clinically relevant questions with validity and generalizability, large numbers of infants from multiple hospitals need to be included. Multijurisdictional research in Canada is currently fraught with research ethics review process hurdles that lead to delays, administrative costs, and possibly termination of projects. We describe our experience applying for ethics review to 13 sites in 7 provinces for a project comparing two standard of care therapies for preterm born infants with respiratory distress syndrome. We welcome the current opportunity created by the Institute of Human Development Child and Youth Health and the Institute for Genetics, to collaboratively identify practical solutions that would benefit Canadian researchers, Research Ethics Boards, and children and families., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Canadian Paediatric Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Intrapartum magnesium sulfate administration is recommended for fetal neuroprotection in women with imminent very preterm birth. However, previous studies have not included or separately analyzed the outcomes of pregnancies with fetal growth restriction that were treated with intrapartum magnesium sulfate., Objective: We sought to evaluate the neonatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes of growth-restricted fetuses born <29 weeks' gestation and exposed to maternal intrapartum magnesium sulfate., Study Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of infants born <29 weeks' gestation from 2010 through 2011, admitted to participating Canadian Neonatal Network units, and followed by the Canadian Neonatal Follow-up Network centers. Growth restriction was defined either as estimated fetal or actual neonatal birthweight <10th percentile according to fetal or neonatal growth standards for gestational age and sex, respectively. Infants exposed to intrapartum magnesium sulfate were compared with unexposed infants. The primary outcome was composite of death or significant neurodevelopmental impairment at 18-36 months' corrected age. Secondary outcomes were death or any neurodevelopmental impairment at 18-36 months' corrected age. Neonatal morbidities were also compared., Results: Of the 336 growth-restricted fetuses, 112 (33%) received magnesium sulfate and of the 177 growth-restricted infants, 61 (34%) received magnesium sulfate. Administration of magnesium sulfate was at the discretion of the treating physician. Intrapartum magnesium sulfate was associated with reduced odds of composite of death or significant neurodevelopmental impairment for infants classified according to both fetal standards (adjusted odds ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.80) and neonatal standards (adjusted odds ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.98)., Conclusion: Intrapartum administration of magnesium sulfate to women with growth-restricted fetuses born <29 weeks' gestation was associated with reduced odds of composite of death or significant neurodevelopmental impairment., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite evidence suggesting that parent involvement was beneficial for infant and parent outcomes, the Family Integrated Care (FICare) programme was one of the first pragmatic approaches to enable parents to become primary caregivers in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We aimed to analyse the effect of FICare on infant and parent outcomes, safety, and resource use., Methods: In this multicentre, cluster-randomised controlled trial, we stratified 26 tertiary NICUs from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand by country and size, and assigned them, using a computer-generated random allocation sequence, to provide FICare or standard NICU care. Eligible infants were born at 33 weeks' gestation or earlier, and had no or low-level respiratory support; parents gave written informed consent for enrolment. To be eligible, parents in the FICare group had to commit to be present for at least 6 h a day, attend educational sessions, and actively care for their infant. The primary outcome, analysed at the individual level, was infant weight gain at day 21 after enrolment. Secondary outcomes were weight gain velocity, high frequency breastfeeding (≥6 times a day) at hospital discharge, parental stress and anxiety at enrolment and day 21, NICU mortality and major neonatal morbidities, safety, and resource use (including duration of oxygen therapy and hospital stay). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01852695., Findings: From Oct 1, 2012, 26 sites were randomly assigned to provide FICare (n=14) or standard care (n=12). One site assigned to FICare discontinued because of poor site enrolment. Parents and infants were enrolled between April 1, 2013, and Aug 31, 2015, with 895 infants being eligible in the FICare group and 891 in the standard care group. At day 21, weight gain was greater in the FICare group than in the standard care group (mean change in Z scores -0·071 [SD 0·42] vs -0·155 [0·42]; p<0·0002). Average daily weight gain was significantly higher in infants receiving FICare than those receiving standard care (mean daily weight gain 26·7 g [SD 9·4] vs 24·8 g [9·5]; p<0·0001). The high-frequency exclusive breastmilk feeding rate at discharge was higher for infants in the FICare group (279 [70%] of 396) than those in the standard care group (394 [63%] of 624; p=0·016). At day 21, parents in the FICare group had lower mean stress scores than did parents in the standard care group (2·3 [SD 0·8] vs 2·5 [0·8]; p<0·00043), and lower mean anxiety scores (70·8 [20·1] vs 74·2 [19·9]; p=0·0045). There were no significant differences between groups in the rates of the secondary outcomes of mortality, major morbidity, duration of oxygen therapy, and duration of hospital stay. Although the safety assessment was not completed, there were no adverse events., Interpretation: FICare improved infant weight gain, decreased parent stress and anxiety, and increased high-frequency exclusive breastmilk feeding at discharge, which together suggest that FICare is an important advancement in neonatal care. Further research is required to examine if these results translate into better long-term outcomes for families., Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Partnerships for Health System Improvement, and Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Examine the relationship between delivery room resuscitation intensity and mortality, morbidities and resource use in late preterm infants., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of inborn infants born at 33 to 36 weeks' gestation and admitted to Canadian neonatal intensive care units during 2010 to 2013. The 13 619 infants were grouped according to delivery room resuscitation intensity: no or minimal resuscitation (64.5%); continuous positive airway pressure (10.2%); bag-mask ventilation (21.7%); endotracheal intubation (3.1%); and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (0.6%)., Results: Overall mortality, early mortality, respiratory distress, pneumothorax, late-onset sepsis and resource use increased with higher intensity resuscitation. Compared with no or minimal resuscitation, intubation and CPR were associated with increased odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 50 (20 to 125) and 180 (63 to 518), respectively)., Conclusions: Intubation or higher intensity delivery room resuscitation is associated with increased mortality, morbidities and resource use in late preterm infants. Extra intensive care is required for such infants, especially during the first week of life.

Background: Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may disrupt parent-infant interaction with adverse consequences for infants and their families. Several family-centered care programs promote parent-infant interaction in the NICU; however, all of these retain the premise that health-care professionals should provide most of the infant's care. Parents play a mainly supportive role in the NICU and continue to feel anxious and unprepared to care for their infant after discharge. In the Family Integrated Care (FICare) model, parents provide all except the most advanced medical care for their infants with support from the medical team. Our hypothesis is that infants whose families complete the FICare program will have greater weight gain and better clinical and parental outcomes compared with infants provided with standard NICU care., Methods/design: FICare is being evaluated in a cluster randomized controlled trial among infants born at ≤ 33 weeks' gestation admitted to 19 Canadian, 6 Australian, and 1 New Zealand tertiary-level NICU. Trial enrollment began in April, 2013, with a target sample size of 675 infants in each arm, to be completed by August, 2015. Participating sites were stratified by country, and by NICU size within Canada, for randomization to either the FICare intervention or control arm. In intervention sites, parents are taught how to provide most of their infant's care and supported by nursing staff, veteran parents, a program coordinator, and education sessions. In control sites standard NICU care is provided. The primary outcome is infants' weight gain at 21 days after enrollment, which will be compared between the FICare and control groups using Student's t-test adjusted for site-level clustering, and multi-level hierarchical models accounting for both clustering and potential confounders. Similar analyses will examine secondary outcomes including breastfeeding, clinical outcomes, safety, parental stress and anxiety, and resource use. The trial was designed, is being conducted, and will be reported according to the CONSORT 2010 guidelines for cluster randomized controlled trials., Discussion: By evaluating the impact of integrating parents into the care of their infant in the NICU, this trial may transform the delivery of neonatal care., Trial Registration: NCT01852695 , registered December 19, 2012.

Objective: This study aims to assess the association of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in a cohort of preterm infants with mortality, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and chronic lung disease (CLD) transfused at ≥21 days of life., Study Design and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included infants born at <30 weeks' gestation who survived ≥21 days, had not received any RBC transfusions before reaching 21 days of age, and were admitted to participating units in the Canadian neonatal network (2003-2009)., Results: Out of the 3,799 eligible infants, 3,309 infants did not receive RBC transfusion at  ≥21 days of age, whereas 490 received transfusion at  ≥21 days of age. Infants who did not receive RBC transfusion/s at  ≥21 days of age had higher birth weight (p<0.01) and higher gestational age at the time of birth (p<0.01) as compared with those who received transfusion/s at ≥21 days of age. Receipt of RBC transfusion/s at  ≥21 days of age was not associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-4.34) or severe ROP (AOR 1.02; 95% CI 0.59-1.77) but was associated with increased odds of CLD (AOR 1.78; 95% CI 1.43-2.22)., Conclusion: RBC transfusion/s at  ≥21 days of age in previously transfusion-naive preterm infants was associated with increased odds of CLD but not with ROP or mortality., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Objective: To examine differences in labor induction and cesarean delivery rates by socioeconomic status in Nova Scotia, Canada., Methods: We studied all women in Nova Scotia who delivered between 1988 and 1995 after a singleton pregnancy. Information was obtained from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database and the federal income tax (T1) Family Files maintained by the Small Area and Administrative Data Division of Statistics Canada (n = 76,440). Labor induction and cesarean delivery rates were contrasted by family income and other indices, with adjustment for risk factors carried out using logistic models., Results: Maternal characteristics and other factors varied by socioeconomic status; in the lowest income group 4.4% of women were aged 35 years or older, and 49.4% were nonsmokers, whereas in the highest income group 17.7% were aged 35 years or older, and 88.7% were nonsmokers. Crude induction rates were similar across income groups (17.7% compared with 18.1% in the lowest compared with highest income groups), but there were significant differences in crude cesarean (17.7% compared with 21.2%) and crude primary cesarean rates (12.5% compared with 17.0%). Controlling for differences in risk factors altered these relationships. Adjusted rate ratios, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and P values contrasting the lowest compared with highest income groups were labor induction 1.09 (95% CI 1.00-1.19), P = .05; overall cesarean delivery 1.12 (95% CI 1.03-1.23), P = .01; primary cesarean delivery 1.09 (95% CI 0.98-1.21), P = .12., Conclusion: Affluent women in Canada are not more likely to have labor induction or cesarean delivery compared with less affluent women., Level of Evidence: II-2.