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Context: Heel prick is one among the common painful procedures in neonates. We performed a systematic review and network metaanalysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy of different interventions for analgesia during heel prick in neonates. Evidence acquisition: Medline, Cochrane, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched from inception until February 2023. Randomized and quasi-randomized trials that evaluated different pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for analgesia during heel prick for neonates were included. Data from the included trials were extracted in duplicate. A NMA with a frequentist random-effects model was used for data synthesis. Certainty of evidence (CoE) was assessed using GRADE. We adhered to the PRISMA-NMA guidelines. Results: One-hundred-and-three trials comparing 51 different analgesic measures were included. Among the 38 interventions, for pain "during" heel prick, non-nutritive suckling (NNS) plus sucrose [SMD Ȓ3.15 (Ȓ2.62, Ȓ3.69)], followed by breastfeeding, glucose, expressed breast milk (EBM), sucrose, NNS and touch massage, had a high certainty of evidence (CoE) to reduce pain scores when compared to no intervention. Among the 23 interventions for pain at 30 seconds after heel-prick, moderate CoE was noted for facilitated tucking plus NNS plus music, glucose, NNS plus sucrose, sucrose plus swaddling, mother holding, EBM, sucrose and NNS. Conclusions: Oral sucrose 2 minutes before combined with NNS during the procedure, was the best intervention for reducing pain during heel prick. It also effectively reduced pain scores 30 seconds and 1 minute after the procedure. Other interventions with moderate to high CoE for a significant reduction in pain during and at 30 seconds after heel prick are oral sucrose, oral glucose, EBM and NNS. All these are low-cost and feasible interventions for most of the settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) has immense short‐term benefits, but data on long‐term outcomes are scarce. Hence, this study aimed to compare the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months of corrected age (CA) in infants <2000 g receiving early and prolonged KMC to a control group. Methods: This was a cohort study that was conducted from January 2017 to November 2018. All neonates<2000 g were eligible for the study. Neonates that received early initiation (<72 h of life) and prolonged KMC comprised the intervention group and were compared to neonates without the intervention. Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third edition (BSID‐III) was done at 12 months of CA, and this was analysed using t‐test and multi‐linear regression analysis. Results: There were 75 neonates in the intervention and 69 in the control group. Baseline characteristics were comparable. We found higher composite scores for cognition (110.38 ± 9.89 vs. 105.44 ± 8.77, p value = 0.023), language (107.51 ± 10.72 vs. 101.05 ± 12.06, p value = 0.014) and adaptive behaviour (87.97 ± 9.97 vs. 80 ± 9.1, p value<0.001) in the early and prolonged KMC group in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: Infants with early and prolonged KMC have better neurodevelopmental outcomes in terms of cognition, language and adaptive behaviour at 12 months of CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newborns, especially preterms, have a higher risk of developing pneumothorax. We report a 33-week preemie who presented with recurrent, persistent right pneumothorax, which failed to resolve with standard treatment. The child underwent surgical removal of a suspect nonexpanding upper lobe of the right lung with clinical improvement. Histopathology was atypical but nearly consistent with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM). This report highlights the clinicopathological discordance noted and aims to draw an embryological explanation toward the atypical histomorphology of CPAM in preemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a novel hypothermia monitoring and alert bracelet device (BEMPU Bracelet) in low birth weight (LBW) neonates weighing less than 2000 g.Design: This was a controlled prospective study.Setting: This study was done in the step-down nursery of a tertiary level newborn unit of a major teaching hospital in India.Methods: Eligible cases fulfilling inclusion criteria were given BEMPU Bracelets for a period of 24 h. A comparison was made between skin temperatures taken at the axilla by a mercury thermometer and skin temperatures taken at the wrist by the BEMPU Bracelet. Temperatures were taken every 6 h and every time the BEMPU Bracelet alarmed. Trained nurses obtained temperature measurements on newborns during their 24-h stay in the hospital step-down nursery.Results: A total of 461 neonates were screened for hypothermia, giving 2428 temperature readings. Three hundred and eleven of 461 babies experienced hypothermia at some point. The 461 babies studied experienced 495 episodes of hypothermia in total. The sensitivity and the specificity of the bracelet in diagnosing hypothermia were 98.6% and 95% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values of the bracelet were 83.6% and 99.6%, respectively. The accuracy of the bracelet in diagnosing hypothermia was 95.8%.Conclusion: The BEMPU Bracelet is an accurate screening tool to detect and alert for neonatal hypothermia, thereby facilitating prompt management, which could prevent complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]