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Abstract Objective The aim of our study was to determine the outcome of fetuses with isolated mild ventriculomegaly, with prenatal imaging work-up, prenatal consultation, delivery and clinical follow-up performed in a single tertiary referring center. Methods Fetuses with isolated and non-progressive mild ventriculomegaly (10–15 mm) were included in the study. Inclusion criteria were as follows: singleton pregnancies, normal chromosomal analysis, normal serological evaluation of TORCH, fetal ultrasound and MRI excluding additional CNS or extra-CNS malformations. The prenatal consultation consisted in discussing the prognosis of ventriculomegaly, according to the literature. The postnatal follow-up protocol included a neuroradiological investigation (cranial ultrasound or MRI), neurological and pediatric examinations. The Griffiths Scales were used to assess the neurodevelopmental outcome. Results Thirty newborns were included in follow-up. The postnatal neuroradiological investigations confirmed the ventriculomegaly as an isolated finding in all cases except one. Nineteen children were available for formal neurodevelopmental testing. In our case series, 93.3% of the children had a favorable outcome or mild anomalies. Two children (6.6%) with mild ventriculomegaly were diagnosed as having rare genetic conditions. The Griffiths developmental quotients were normal (mean General Quotient 98.3) at the latest assessment (mean age 20.8 months) in all but one case. Discussion Most children in our case series had a favorable outcome, as described in the literature. Even though a large quantity of data is now available on ventriculomegaly, fetal consultation remains challenging and requires caution. The diagnostic work-up of pregnancies diagnosed with mild ventriculomegaly must be very meticulous and include TORCH evaluation, microarray, serial ultrasounds to exclude progression, and a fetal MRI. However, despite accurate screening, there are more complex conditions in which ventriculomegaly can be the only non-specific finding in fetal life, making postnatal follow up mandatory. Highlights • Prenatal work-up in VM should include TORCH evaluation, microarray, serial ultrasounds to exclude progression, and a fetal MRI. • In VM a post-natal follow-up is mandatory to exclude rare conditions. • Long term follow-up should include a formal neurodevelopmental test. • Brain volumetric and ADC studies seem promising in helping to understand the impact of mild VM on neurodevelopmental outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 (SARS-Cov-2) pandemic has put a strain on healthcare systems around the world from December 2019 in China, and then rapidly spreading worldwide. The impact of the virus on the entire population and its differential effect on various age groups was unknown at the outset, specifically its severity in elders, children or those living with other comorbidities, thus defining the syndemic, rather than pandemic, character of the infection. The effort of clinicians was initially to organize differential paths to isolate cases or contacts. This impacted the maternal-neonatal care adding an additional burden to this dyad and raising several questions. Can SARS-Cov-2 infection in the first days of life put the health of the newborn at risk? Could the separation of a healthy newborn from an infected mother create further physical and psychological health problems in the dyad? The rapid and massive research effort in these three years of the pandemic has provided wide answers to these initial questions. In this review, we report epidemiological data, clinical features, complications, and management of the neonates affected by SARS-Cov-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is the most common indication for respiratory extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in neonates. The survival rate of CDH neonates treated with ECLS is 50%, and this figure has remained relatively stable over the last few decades. This is likely because the current population of CDH neonates who require ECLS have a higher risk profile [1]. The management of neonates with CDH has evolved over time to emphasize postnatal stabilization, gentle ventilation, and multi-modal treatment of pulmonary hypertension. In order to minimize practice variation, many centers have adopted CDH-specific clinical practice guidelines, however care is not standardized between different centers and outcomes vary [3]. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current understanding of issues central to the care of neonates with CDH treated with ECLS and specifically highlight how the use of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) data have added to our understanding of CDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACD/MPV) is a rare and lethal developmental disorder of the lung that affect both acinar structure and the intrinsic pulmonary vasculature. We report prenatal and postnatal imaging with histopathological findings of this rare condition. We, first, describe MR imaging features and discuss its role in prenatal imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Premature infants often experience difficulties adapting to postnatal life. The most relevant ones are related to establishing an adult type cardiorespiratory circulation and acquiring hemodynamic stability, aerating the lung and attaining a functional residual capacity, performing an adequate gas exchange and switching to an oxygen enriched metabolism, and keeping an adequate body temperature. In recent years a body of evidence supports a trend towards gentle management in the delivery room aiming to reduce damage especially to the lungs in the so-called first golden minutes. Herewith, we describe and update four of the most relevant interventions performed in the delivery room: delayed cord clamping, non-invasive ventilation, individualized oxygen supplementation, and maintaining an adequate body temperature so as to avoid hyperthermia and/or hypothermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of nebulized poractant alfa (at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses) delivered in combination with nasal continuous positive airway pressure compared with nasal continuous positive airway pressure alone in premature infants with diagnosed respiratory distress syndrome.Study Design: This randomized, controlled, multinational study was conducted in infants at 280/7 to 326/7 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was the incidence of respiratory failure in the first 72 hours of life, defined as needing endotracheal surfactant and/or mechanical ventilation owing to prespecified criteria. Secondary outcomes included the time to respiratory failure in the first 72 hours, duration of ventilation, mortality, incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and major associated neonatal comorbidities. In addition, the safety and tolerability of the treatments were assessed reporting the number and percentage of infants with treatment-emergent adverse events and adverse drug reactions during nebulization.Results: In total, 129 infants were randomized. No significant differences were observed for the primary outcome: 24 (57%), 20 (49%), and 25 (58%) infants received endotracheal surfactant and/or mechanical ventilation within 72 hours in the poractant alfa 200 mg/kg, poractant alfa 400 mg/kg, and nasal continuous positive airway pressure groups, respectively. Similarly, secondary respiratory outcomes did not differ among groups. Enrollment was halted early owing to a change in the benefit-risk balance of the intervention. Nebulized poractant alfa was well-tolerated and safe, and no serious adverse events were related to the study treatment.Conclusions: The intervention did not decrease the likelihood of respiratory failure within the first 72 hours of life.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03235986. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) in comparison with conventional (cEEG) for the identification of electrographic seizures in neonates with acute neonatal encephalopathies. Methods: Thirty-one conventional cEEG/aEEG long-term recordings from twenty-eight newborns were reviewed in order to assess the electrographic seizure detection rate and recurrence in newborns. Two paediatric neurologists and one neonatologist, blinded to the raw full array cEEG, were asked to mark any events suspected to be an electrographic seizures on aEEG. They were asked to decide if the displayed aEEG trace showed the pattern of a single seizure (SS), repetitive seizures (RS) or status epilepticus (SE). Their ability to recognize electrographic seizures on aEEG was compared to seizures identified on full array cEEG. Results: 25 of the 31 long-term cEEGs recordings showed electrographic seizures. The two paediatric neurologists and the neonatologist identified SE in 100% of the reviewed traces using aEEG alone while they identified 49.4% and 37.5% of electrographic seizures using aEEG alone. Overall, the correct identification ranged from 23.5% to 30.7% for SS and 66% for RS. The inter-observer agreement (k) for the identification of SE for the two paediatric neurologists and the neonatologist was 1.0. Overall the inter-observer agreement (k) for the detection of SS, RS and SE of the two paediatric neurologists was 0.91. Conclusions: In our study the observers identified SE in 100% of the reviewed traces using raw aEEG alone, thus aEEG might represent a useful tool to detect SE in the setting of NICU. SS may not be reliably identified using aEEG alone. Simultaneous recording of the raw cEEG/aEEG provides a good level of sensitivity for the detection of neonatal electrographic seizures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To characterize respiratory function monitor (RFM) measurements of sustained inflations and intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) delivered noninvasively to infants in the Sustained Aeration of Infant Lungs (SAIL) trial and to compare vital sign measurements between treatment arms.Study Design: We analyzed RFM data from SAIL participants at 5 trial sites. We assessed tidal volumes, rates of airway obstruction, and mask leak among infants allocated to sustained inflations and IPPV, and we compared pulse rate and oxygen saturation measurements between treatment groups.Results: Among 70 SAIL participants (36 sustained inflations, 34 IPPV) with RFM measurements, 40 (57%) were spontaneously breathing prior to the randomized intervention. The median expiratory tidal volume of sustained inflations administered was 5.3 mL/kg (IQR 1.1-9.2). Significant mask leak occurred in 15% and airway obstruction occurred during 17% of sustained inflations. Among 34 control infants, the median expiratory tidal volume of IPPV inflations was 4.3 mL/kg (IQR 1.3-6.6). Mask leak was present in 3%, and airway obstruction was present in 17% of IPPV inflations. There were no significant differences in pulse rate or oxygen saturation measurements between groups at any point during resuscitation.Conclusion: Expiratory tidal volumes of sustained inflations and IPPV inflations administered in the SAIL trial were highly variable in both treatment arms. Vital sign values were similar between groups throughout resuscitation. Sustained inflation as operationalized in the SAIL trial was not superior to IPPV to promote lung aeration after birth in this study subgroup.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02139800. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been successfully tested in the context of preterm infants. No studies, however, have been conducted to investigate the OMT immediate effects on physiological measurements, such as partial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of osteopathic treatment on SpO2 and HR values and to compare it with 10 min of static touch. Ninety-six preterm infants (41 male), aged 33.5 weeks (±4.3) with mean weight at birth of 2067gr (±929) were recruited from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Buzzi Hospital in Milan, and randomly allocated to two groups: OMT and Static Touch. Each protocol session consisted of: a) 5-min Pre-touch baseline recording, b) 10-min touch procedure, c) 5-min post-touch recording. Primary and secondary outcomes were, respectively, the baseline changes of HR and SpO2. The 2 × 2 repeated measure ANOVA for HR showed a statistically significant effect (F (1,94) = 5.34; p < 0.02), revealing that the OMT group decreases the HR value at T2 (p = 0.006). In contrast, SpO2 analysis showed an increase of SpO2 value where the OMT group demonstrated higher values at T2 (p = 0.04). Results from the present study suggest that a single osteopathic intervention may induce beneficial effects on preterm physiological parameters. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03833635 – Date: February 7, 2019. • Osteopathic manipulative treatment showed positive effects on preterm newborns. • 10-min of osteopathic treatment produced significant changes in newborns' heart rate. • 10-min of osteopathic treatment produced a significant increase in newborns' oxygen saturation levels. • Static touch did not generate significant changes in heart rate or oxygen saturation levels. • Osteopathy probably induces a metabolic effect followed by an autonomic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gentle, dynamic touch plays a central role in many perinatal care strategies. • C-tactile afferents, unmyelinated mechanoreceptors, respond optimally to low force and velocity touch. • CT targeted produced a significant decrease in infants' heart-rates and increase in their blood oxygenation levels. • Static touch did not generate significant change in heart-rate or blood oxygenation levels. • Findings from this study provide support for the hypothesis that CTs signal the affective quality of nurturing touch. Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for a range of long-term health problems and developmental disabilities. Though touch plays a central role in many perinatal care strategies, the neurobiological basis of these approaches is seldom considered. C-Tactile afferents (CTs) are a class of unmyelinated nerve fibre activated by low force, dynamic touch. Consistent with an interoceptive function, touch specifically targeted to activate CTs activates posterior insular cortex and has been reported to reduce autonomic arousal. The present study compared the effect of 5 min of CT optimal velocity stroking touch to 5 min of static touch on the heart-rate and oxygen saturation levels of preterm infants between 28- & 37-weeks gestational age. CT touch produced a significant decrease in infants' heart-rates and increase in their blood oxygenation levels, which sustained throughout a 5-min post-touch period. In contrast, there was no significant change in heart-rate or blood oxygenation levels of infants receiving static touch. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that CTs signal the affective quality of nurturing touch, providing a neurobiological substrate for the apparent beneficial effects of neonatal tactile interventions and offering insight for their optimisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine the efficacy and safety of automated adjustment of the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO 2 ) in maintaining arterial oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) within a higher (91%-95%) and a lower (89%-93%) target range in preterm infants. Study design Eighty preterm infants (gestational age [median]: 26 weeks, age [median] 18 days) on noninvasive (n = 50) and invasive (n = 30) respiratory support with supplemental oxygen, were first randomized to one of the SpO 2 target ranges and then treated with automated FiO 2 (A-FiO 2 ) and manual FiO 2 (M-FiO 2 ) oxygen control for 24 hours each, in random sequence. Results The percent time within the target range was higher during A-FiO 2 compared with M-FiO 2 control. This effect was more pronounced in the lower SpO 2 target range (62 ± 17% vs 54 ± 16%, P < .001) than in the higher SpO 2 target range (62 ± 17% vs 58 ± 15%, P < .001). The percent time spent below the target or in hypoxemia (SpO 2 <80%) was consistently reduced during A-FiO 2 , independent of the target range. The time spent above the target range or at extreme hyperoxemia (SpO 2 >98%) was only reduced during A-FiO 2 when targeting the lower SpO 2 range (89%-93%). These outcomes did not differ between infants on noninvasive and invasive respiratory support. Manual adjustments were significantly reduced during A-FiO 2 control. Conclusions A-FiO 2 control improved SpO 2 targeting across different SpO 2 ranges and reduced hypoxemia in preterm infants on noninvasive and invasive respiratory support. Trial registration ISRCTN 56626482. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]