Search

No consensus has been reached on which patent ductus arteriosus (PDAs) in preterm infants require treatment and if so, how, and when they should be treated. A prospective, multicenter, cohort study was conducted to compare the effects of conservative approaches and medical treatment options on ductal closure at discharge, surgical ligation, prematurity-related morbidities, and mortality. Infants between 24(0/7)and 28(6/7)weeks of gestation from 24 neonatal intensive care units were enrolled. Data on PDA management and patients' clinical characteristics were recorded prospectively. Patients with moderate-to-large PDA were compared. Among the 1,193 enrolled infants (26.7 +/- 1.4 weeks and 926 +/- 243 g), 649 (54%) had no or small PDA, whereas 544 (46%) had moderate-to-large PDA. One hundred thirty (24%) infants with moderate-to-large PDA were managed conservatively, in contrast to 414 (76%) who received medical treatment. Eighty (62%) of 130 infants who were managed conservatively did not receive any rescue treatment and the PDA closure rate was 53% at discharge. There were no differences in the rates of late-onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular hemorrhage (>= Grade 3), surgical ligation, and presence of PDA at discharge between conservatively-managed and medically-treated infants (p> 0.05). Multivariate analysis including perinatal factors showed that medical treatment was associated with increased risk for mortality (OR 1.68, 95% Cl 1.01-2.80,p= 0.046), but decreased risk for BPD or death (BPD/death) (OR 0.59, 95%Cl 0.37-0.92,p= 0.022). The preferred treatment options were ibuprofen (intravenous 36%, oral 31%), and paracetamol (intravenous 26%, oral 7%). Infants who were treated with oral paracetamol had higher rates of NEC and mortality in comparison to other treatment options. Infants treated before postnatal day 7 had higher rates of mortality and BPD/death than infants who were conservatively managed or treated beyond day 7 (p= 0.009 and 0.007, respectively). In preterm infants born at

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the early neonatal outcomes of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants discharged home from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed between April 1, 2016 and April 30, 2017. The study included VLBW infants admitted to level III NICUs. Perinatal and neonatal data of all infants born with a birth weight of ≤1500 g were collected for infants who survived. RESULTS: Data from 69 NICUs were obtained. The mean birth weight and gestational age were 1137±245 g and 29±2.4 weeks, respectively. During the study period, 78% of VLBW infants survived to discharge and 48% of survived infants had no major neonatal morbidity. VLBW infants who survived were evaluated in terms of major morbidities: bronchopulmonary dysplasia was detected in 23.7% of infants, necrotizing enterocolitis in 9.1%, blood culture proven late-onset sepsis (LOS) in 21.1%, blood culture negative LOS in 21.3%, severe intraventricular hemorrhage in 5.4% and severe retinopathy of prematurity in 11.1%. Hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus was diagnosed in 24.8% of infants. Antenatal steroids were administered to 42.9% of mothers. CONCLUSION: The present investigation is the first multicenter study to include epidemiological information on VLBW infants in Turkey. Morbidity rate in VLBW infants is a serious concern and higher than those in developed countries. Implementation of oxygen therapy with appropriate monitoring, better antenatal and neonatal care and control of sepsis may reduce the prevalence of neonatal morbidities. Therefore, monitoring standards of neonatal care and implementing quality improvement projects across the country are essential for improving neonatal outcomes in Turkish NICUs.

Background To evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Turkey and to establish screening criteria for this condition. Methods A prospective cohort study (TR-ROP) was performed between 1 April 2016 and 30 April 2017 in 69 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Infants with a birth weight (BW)=1500 g or gestational age (GA) 1500 g or GA> 32 weeks with an unstable clinical course were included in the study. Predictors for the development of ROP were determined by logistic regression analyses. Results The TR-ROP study included 6115 infants: 4964 (81%) with a GA 32 weeks. Overall, 27% had any stage of ROP and 6.7% had severe ROP. A lower BW, smaller GA, total days on oxygen, late-onset sepsis, frequency of red blood cell transfusions and relative weight gain were identified as independent risk factors for severe ROP in infants with a BW=1500 g. Of all infants, 414 needed treatment and 395 (95.4%) of the treated infants had a BW

Objectives We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the available evidence to assess the efficacy and safety of paracetamol for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in neonates, and to explore the effects of clinical variables on the risk of closure. Data source MEDLINE, Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge databases, using the following medical subject headings and terms: paracetamol, acetaminophen and patent ductus arteriosus. Electronic and manual screening of conference abstracts from international meetings of relevant organisations. Manual search of the reference lists of all eligible articles. Study selection Studies comparing paracetamol versus ibuprofen, indomethacin, placebo or no intervention for the treatment of PDA. Data extraction Data regarding efficacy and safety were collected and analysed. Results Sixteen studies were included: 2 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 14 uncontrolled studies. Quality of selected studies is poor. A meta-analysis of RCTs does not demonstrate any difference in the risk of ductal closure (Mantel-Haenszel model, RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.33 and RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.16, after 3 and 6 days of treatment, respectively). Proportion meta-analysis of uncontrolled studies demonstrates a pooled ductal closure rate of 49% (95% CI 29% to 69%) and 76% (95% CI 61% to 88%) after 3 and 6 days of treatment with paracetamol, respectively. Safety profiles of paracetamol and ibuprofen are similar. Conclusions Efficacy and safety of paracetamol appear to be comparable with those of ibuprofen. These results should be interpreted with caution, taking into account the non-optimal quality of the studies analysed and the limited number of neonates treated with paracetamol so far.

Neonatal thromboembolic events are rare, and only a few cases of intrauterine spontaneous arterial thromboembolisms have been reported in the literature. Thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is usually the preferred treatment because it has a short half-life, fewer systemic side effects, and a strong, specific affinity for fibrin. Protocols vary from center to center, but there is still no consensus regarding the proper dosage or treatment duration. Herein, we present the case of an intrauterine spontaneous arterial thromboembolism in a preterm infant that completely resolved after being treated with low-dose recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (0.02 mg/kg/h).Yenidoğanda tromboembolik olaylar sık değildir. Literatürde spontan intrauterin arteriyel tromboz olgusu oldukça az bildirilmiştir. Tromboemboli tedavisinde yarılanma ömrü kısa olduğu için rekombinan doku plazminojen aktivatörü çoğunlukla tercih edilmektedir. Tedavi protokolü merkezden merkeze değişiklik göstermesine karşın, doz ve süre konusunda bir uzlaşı yoktur. Biz burada kullanılabilecek en düşük dozlardan biriyle (0,02 mg/kg/doz) tamamen iyileşme sağladığımız intrauterin spontan arteriyel trombozlu bir olguyu sunmak istedik.

With continuing developments in the field of neonatology, survival rates of low birth weight and small for gestational age infants have increased, which in turn has brought important prematurity-related problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the prematurity problems that are the significant causes of morbidity and mortality.613 premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ataturk University Medical Faculty Hospital between January 2010 and January 2012 were included in this study. Infants were divided into groups according to their birth weight and gestational age.323 infants were male (52.6%) and 290 were female (47.4%). 63.9% of infants weighed ≥1500 grams, and 58.5% had a gestational age of ≥33 weeks. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) was detected in 249 (40.6%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in 124 (20.2%), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in 41 (6.6%), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in 202 (32.9%), and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in 15 (2.4%). RDS, BPD, NEC, ROP, and ICH rates were inversely proportional to decreases in gestational age and birth weight, and were found to be statistically significant.Mortality and morbidity rates were similar to the other data published from our country, but the rates were above those reported in developed countries. We believe that our morbidity and mortality rates can reach levels comparable to those of developed countries with improved antenatal care, regular follow-up of pregnancy and increased numbers of physicians and health care personnel per patient.Neonatoloji alanındaki gelişmelerle birlikte çok düşük doğum ağırlıklı prematüre bebeklerin yaşatılabilme oranlarındaki artış prematüreliğe bağlı önemli problemlerin çoğalmasına neden olmuştur. Bu çalışmada geriye dönük olarak prematüreliğe bağlı morbidite ve mortalite nedenlerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.Bu çalışmaya Atatürk Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesi, Yenidoğan Servisi’ne Ocak 2010 ile Ocak 2012 arasında yatan 613 prematüre bebek dahil edildi. Bebekler doğum ağırlığına ve gebelik yaşlarına göre gruplara ayrıldı.Bebeklerin 323’ü (%52,6) erkek, 290’ı kız (%47,4) idi. Bebeklerin %63,9’u 1500 gr ve üzerinde, %58,’i 33 hafta ve üzerindeydi. Bebeklerin 249’unda (%40,6) respiratuar distres sendromu (RDS), 202’sinde (%32,9) prematüre retinopatisi (PR), 137’sinde (%22,3) patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), 124’ünde (%20,2) bronkopulmoner displazi (BPD), 41’inde (%6,6) nekrotizan enterokolit (NEK), 15’inde (%2,4) intrakraniyal kanama (İKK) tespit edildi. RDS, BPD, PDA, NEK, PR, İKK oranlarının gebelik yaşı ve doğum ağırlığı düştükçe ters orantılı olarak arttığı saptandı ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulundu.Mortalite ve morbidite oranlarımızın ülkemizden yayınlanan verilerle benzerlik göstermesine karşın, gelişmiş ülkelerin oranlarının üzerinde olduğu görülmüştür. Antenatal bakımın iyileştirilmesi, gebelik takiplerinin düzenli yapılması ve hasta başına düşen doktor ve yardımcı sağlık personeli sayımızın artmasıyla birlikte morbidite ve mortalite oranlarımızın gelişmiş ülkeler seviyesine ulaşacağını düşünmekteyiz.

WOS: 000334063700020, PubMed: 25558651, Aim: To investigate the effects of L-carnitine (LC) on rats with oxygen-induced retinopathy. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 40 Sprague Dawley rat pups. The rat pups were randomly divided into 4 groups: group 1 (n = 10), the healthy control group with intraperitoneal 0.1 mL/day physiological saline injection; group 2 (n = 10), exposed to hyperoxygen, did not receive LC but received 0.1 mL/day physiological saline intraperitoneally; group 3 (n = 10), exposed to hyperoxygen and received 100 mg/kg/day LC intraperitoneally; group 4 (n = 10), exposed to hyperoxygen and received 200 mg/kg/day LC intraperitoneally. After postnatal day 20, the rat pups were killed and an histological examination was performed on the eyes, in addition to the detection of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Results: The retinal and choroidal histopathological changes due to hyperoxygen were less in group 3 and minimal in group 4 compared with group 2. Compared with the healthy control group, the increase in the MDA levels in group 2 was significant (P < 0.05). Compared with group 2 there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the MDA levels in groups 3 and 4. Conclusion: LC has beneficial effects on oxygen-induced retinopathy in rats in terms of histopathological changes and MDA levels.

Cow’s milk allergy is frequent in the first year of life. The symptoms may start during the first weeks of life, and may be cutaneous (50–60%), gastrointestinal (50–60%) or respiratory (20–30%), often involving more than one organ system. In this report, we describe a case of cow’s milk allergy in a preterm infant in whom rectal bleeding and respiratory symptoms resolved with the introduction of an extensively hydrolyzed formula. Occurrence of the respiratory symptoms of this disorder in a preterm infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia may cause re-hospitalization after discharge.

Newborns are more susceptible to infection; this makes proper wound care extremely important in them. Unfortunately, in spite of successful surgery, patients can die as a result of wound area infections. Herein, we report a case in which a combined therapy of chlorhexidine (a disinfectant) and saline (a cleansing agent used in wound care) was used effectively to treat the wound in a newborn infant with an antibiotic‐resistant, Gram‐negative, bacteria‐related surgical site infection.

Introduction: Haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pre-term infants. This retrospective study was conducted to investigate the usefulness of lower-dose paracetamol for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in pre-term infants. Materials and Methods: A total of 13 pre-term infants who received intravenous paracetamol because of contrindications or side effects to oral ibuprofen were retrospectively enrolled. In the first patient, the dose regimen was 15 mg/kg/dose, every 6 hours. As the patient developed significant elevation in transaminase levels, the dose was decreased to 10 mg/kg/dose, every 8 hours in the following 12 patients. Echocardiographic examination was conducted daily. In case of closure, it was repeated after 2 days and when needed thereafter in terms of reopening. Results: A total of 13 patients received intravenous paracetamol. Median gestational age was 29 weeks ranging from 24 to 31 weeks and birth weight was 950 g ranging from 470 to 1390 g. The median postnatal age at the first intravenous paracetamol dose was 3 days ranging from 2 to 9 days. In 10 of the 13 patients (76.9%), patent ductus arteriosus was closed at the median 2nd day of intravenous paracetamol ranging from 1 to 4 days. When the patient who developed hepatotoxicity was eliminated, the closure rate was found to be 83.3% (10/12). Conclusion: Intravenous paracetamol may be a useful treatment option for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in pre-term infants with contrindication to ibuprofen. In our experience, lower-dose paracetamol is effective in closing the patent ductus arteriosus in 83.3% of the cases.

Background:: Although it is well described among adults, intravenous colistin use and its associated toxicities in newborns are poorly understood. Objectives:: We present our experience of efficacy and safety of intravenous colistin in the treatment of sepsis in term and preterm neonates. Patients and Methods:: The records of neonates who received colistin between January 2013 and February 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All neonates with culture proven nosocomial infections due to multidrug resistant organisms and treated continuously with colistin for more than 72 hours were included in the study. Results:: Patients were evaluated for clinical and microbiological response to the drug and its and side effects. Twelve newborn infants with mean 31.8 ± 3.5 weeks gestational age and median 1482 (810 - 3200) gram birth weight were included. 11/12 (91.7%) patients showed microbiological clearance with intravenous colistin. One patient who had recurrent cerebrospinal fluid positive culture was treated with intraventricular colistin. The major side effects observed was hyponatremia and hypokalemia in 2 (16.6%) patients, all infants required magnesium supplementation. Conclusions:: Intravenous colistin administration appears to be safe and efficacious for multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections in neonates, including preterm infants. However, we believe that large prospective controlled studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety in neonates.

The treatment of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections is a serious problem in neonatal Intensive Care Units. Colistin has been used successfully in the treatment of these infections. Due to the limited penetration of colistin into the cerebrospinal fluid, central nervous system infection due to A. baumannii necessitates intrathecal or intraventricular application. Here, we describe our experience with intravenous and intraventricular colistin administration in a premature infant (33 gestational weeks) with shunt infection and brain abscess. No side-effects related to the drug were observed. To the best of our knowledge, our patient is the first premature infant to undergo intraventricular colistin administration. Although the central nervous system infection in our patient was treated successfully, it is obvious that detailed prospective studies are required regarding colistin usage in neonates and especially in premature infants.

Congenital anomaly of the iliac arteries is rare, and, given that patients are generally asymptomatic, diagnosis in the newborn period is difficult. Herein is presented the case of a newborn with bilateral hypoplasia of the common iliac arteries, seen on multi-slice computed tomography while investigating the absence of femoral pulse. This anomaly is a rare cause of absence of femoral arterial pulse.

Thrombotic events may complicate the clinical course of many pediatric diseases. Drugs for therapeutic thrombolysis include streptokinase, urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). There is less experience with recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) in children. We aimed to present our experiences with rt-PA in children with intracardiac or peripheral arterial thrombus. We retrospectively reviewed the children who received rt-PA for thrombus. Twenty-two children (13 boys, 9 girls; age range: 1 day-17 years) with intracardiac (n = 5), prosthetic heart valve (n = 2) and peripheral arterial (n = 15) thrombus were evaluated. Twelve (54%) had congenital heart disease, two (9%) had rheumatic heart disease, three (14%) had leukemia and five (23%) had documented sepsis, prematurity or meconium aspiration syndrome. Ten of the 15 peripheral arterial thromboses were observed following cardiac catheterization. Three of the five intracardiac thrombi were detected in children with leukemia. All children received low-molecular-weight heparin. rt-PA (alteplase) infusion (at a dose of 0.01-0.5 mg/kg per h) was administered for different time periods (3-66 h). Ten of 11 patients with peripheral arterial occlusion and three of five patients with intracardiac thrombus showed full recovery. However, there was no response in two patients with intracardiac thrombus and in two patients with heart valve thrombus. Nose bleeding, melena and decreased serum fibrinogen concentration were observed in seven patients during the rt-PA infusion. All bleedings stopped after cessation of rt-PA infusion, and no blood transfusion was required in any patient We conclude that rt-PA infusion seems effective and well tolerated in children for the treatment of peripheral arterial and intracardiac thrombus. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 25:726-730 2014 (C) Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Mutations in the KCNJ11 gene are responsible for the majority of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM) cases. Some mutations in this gene, including p.Q52R, are associated with the developmental delay, epilepsy, neonatal diabetes (DEND) syndrome. We describe a patient with PNDM who had no neurological finding although she was determined to have a novel mutation (p.Q52L) in the same residue of the KCNJ11 as in the previously reported cases with DEND syndrome. This case suggests that not all Q52 mutations in the KCNJ11 gene are necessarily related to DEND syndrome.

Hypernatremic dehydration in neonates is a condition that develops due to inadequate fluid intake and it may lead to cerebral damage. We aimed to determine whether there was an association between serum sodium levels on admission and aEEG patterns and prognosis, as well as any association between aEEG findings and survival rates and long-term prognosis.The present study included all term infants hospitalized for hypernatremic dehydration in between January 2010 and May 2011. Infants were monitored by aEEG. At 2 years of age, we performed a detailed evaluation to assess the impact of hypernatremic dehydration on the neurodevelopmental outcome.Twenty-one infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for hypernatremic dehydration. A correlation was found between increased serum sodium levels and aEEG abnormalities. Neurodevelopmental assessment was available for 17 of the 21 infants. The results revealed that hypernatremic dehydration did not adversely affect the long-term outcomes.The follow-up of newborns after discharge is key to determine the risks associated with hypernatremic dehydration. Our results suggest that hypernatremic dehydration had no impact on the long-term outcome. In addition, continuous aEEG monitoring could provide information regarding early prognosis and mortality.

babies with hsPDA. The first patient was a 29-week premature infant (birth weight 1,045 g, postnatal age 3 days). Oral ibupro-fen was contraindicated in this patient due to suspected necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We started IV paracetamol with the dose regimen suggested by Oncel et al. [1] . After the first 4 doses, transaminase levels were checked and a significant increase was detected compared to pretreatment levels (aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 43 vs. 260 U/l, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 11 vs. 180 U/l). The drug was ceased and transaminase levels normalized over the following 4 days. After this experience, we decreased each dose to 10 mg/kg (3 doses/day). An echocardiographic study was per-formed after each of the 3 doses. If the duc-tal shunt had disappeared, treatment was stopped, but if it persisted, an additional 3 doses were given, for a maximum of 4 days. In 6 additional patients, IV paracetamol was used with this dosing regimen. All were very low birth weight infants. The gesta-tional ages were

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of abdominal massage on feeding tolerance in stable preterm infants fed minimal enteral nutrition. Methods The study was conducted on a control-grouped pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design at the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey between March and July 2012. Abdominal massage was applied to the massage group subjects for 15 minutes, 2 times daily, before the subject was fed starting in the 5-day study period. Results The study was conducted with 27 subjects, 14 in the massage group and 13 in the control group. When frequency of defecation measurements were analysed, the difference between the first day and last day of the study was not statistically significant in the massage group. However, when daily weight gain, frequency of vomiting, abdominal circumference and gastric residual volume excess measurements were analysed, the differences between the first day and last day of the study were statistically significant in the massage group. Conclusions In accordance with the results of the study, we suggest that nurses should apply abdominal massage twice a day as an intervention helping to prevent gastric residual volume excess and abdominal distension in enterally fed preterm infants.