What are the non-cardiac prognostic factors affecting mortality in neonates with aortopulmonary shunt.

Background/aim: Systemic to pulmonary shunts (SPS) have proven to be highly effective for the palliation of neonates with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Mortality after SPS surgery in neonates has multifactorial basis. We aimed to investigate the clinical results of the SPS in relation to the underlying cardiac disease and to identify the risk factors contributing to an adverse outcome.Material and method: All neonates who underwent first shunt insertion for cyanotic congenital heart disease during the study period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017 were included. A retrospective review of patient records was done. Patients were grouped into two different categories: survived with or without any reintervention and death before or after any reintervention till discharge.Result: During the study period, 47 patients underwent SPS shunt placement. Patients who survived with or without any reintervention were in Group 1 and patients who died before or after any reintervention till discharge were in Group 2. Preoperative epinephrine requirement and mechanical ventilation and postoperative erythrocyte transfusion need were statistically significant.Conclusion: Although primary cardiac pathology is the most important prognostic factor, some other preoperative and postoperative factors like preoperative epinephrine requirement, and postoperative erythrocyte transfusion might also affect the prognosis. As there are very few centers in the region that specialize in pediatric cardiac surgery, a multicenter approach will be helpful in reaching reliable conclusions.

An observational, prospective, multicenter study on rescue high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in neonates failing with conventional ventilation.

BACKGROUND: To achieve gas exchange goals and mitigate lung injury, infants who fail with conventional ventilation (CV) are generally switched to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). Although preferred in many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), research on this type of rescue HFOV has not been reported recently. METHODS: An online registry database for a multicenter, prospective study was set to evaluate factors affecting the response of newborn infants to rescue HFOV treatment. The study population consisted of 372 infants with CV failure after at least 4 hours of treatment in 23 participating NICUs. Patients were grouped according to their final outcome as survived (Group S) or as died or received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (Group D/E). Patients' demographic characteristics and underlying diseases in addition to their ventilator settings, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis results at 0, 1, 4, and 24 hours, type of device, ventilation duration, and complications were compared between groups. RESULTS: HFOV as rescue treatment was successful in 58.1% of patients. Demographic and treatment parameters were not different between groups, except that infants in Group D/E had lower birthweight (BW) (1655 ± 1091 vs. 1858 ± 1027 g, p = 0.006), a higher initial FiO2 setting (83% vs. 72%, p < 0.001), and a higher rate of nitric oxide exposure (21.8% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.004) in comparison to infants who survived (Group S). The initial cut-offs for a successful response on ABG were defined as pH >7.065 (OR: 19.74, 95% CI 4.83-80.6, p < 0.001), HCO3 >16.35 mmol/L (OR: 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.1, p = 0.006), and lactate level <3.75 mmol/L (OR: 1.09%95 CI 1.01-1.16, p = 0.006). Rescue HFOV duration was associated with retinopathy of prematurity (p = 0.005) and moderate or severe chronic lung disease (p < 0.001), but not with patent ductus arteriosus or intraventricular hemorrhage, in survivors (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Rescue HFOV as defined for this population was successful in more than half of the patients with CV failure. Although the response was not associated with gestational age, underlying disease, device used, or initial MV settings, it seemed to be more effective in patients with higher BW and those not requiring nitric oxide. Initial pH, HCO3, and lactate levels on ABG may be used as predictors of a response to rescue HFOV.

New biomarkers for antenatal infection: MICA and MICB gene expression in preterm babies.

The human major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene A and B (MICA and MICB) is one of the genes in chromosome 6. As MIC expression is inducible by heat, viral infection, inflammation and DNA damage, the molecules have been thought to be stress markers for the cells. We aimed to find the level of mRNA concentrations of MICA and MICB in neonates without any evidence of early onset infection.

A congenital soft tissue Ewing sarcoma in a newborn patient.

Akçali M, Yapicioglu H, Akay E, Özlü F, Kozanoglu B, Erdogan K, Gönlüsen G, Satar M. A congenital soft tissue Ewing sarcoma in a newborn patient. Turk J Pediatr 2017; 59: 76-79. < p < Congenital Ewing sarcoma is extremely rare. Here we present a newborn baby born with a mass on the left shoulder. Immunohistochemical staining showed congenital Ewing sarcoma. Chemotherapy and then surgical operation were planned, however the patient died before initiation of chemotherapy on the 30th day of life.

Oxidant and antioxidant parameters in the treatment of meningitis.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of meningitis treatment on the serum and cerebrospinal-fluid oxidant and antioxidant status in children with bacterial meningitis. Forty children with bacterial meningitis, at ages ranging from 4 months to 12 years (mean age, 4 years), were enrolled in the study. Within 8 hours after admission (before treatment) and 10 days after clinical and laboratory indications of recovery (after treatment), cerebrospinal fluid and venous blood were collected. Thirty-seven healthy children (mean age, 4 years) were enrolled as control subjects, and only venous blood was collected. Serum total oxidant status, lipid hydroperoxide, oxidative stress index, uric acid, albumin, and ceruloplasmin levels were lower in the patient group after treatment (P<0.05). Serum total antioxidant capacity levels, vitamin C, total bilirubin, and catalase concentrations were not significantly altered by treatment (P>0.05). However, cerebrospinal fluid total oxidant status, lipid hydroperoxide, and oxidative stress index levels were higher, and cerebrospinal fluid total antioxidant capacity levels were lower after treatment than before treatment (P<0.05). In conclusion, we demonstrated that serum oxidative stress was lower, and cerebrospinal fluid oxidative stress was higher, after rather than before treatment in children with bacterial meningitis.

Total antioxidant/oxidant status in meningism and meningitis.

The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant/oxidant status of serum and cerebrospinal fluid in children with meningismus and acute bacterial meningitis. Twenty-three children (age range, 0.75 to 9 years) with fever and meningeal signs that required analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid, but no cytologic or biochemical evidence of meningitis in their serum and cerebrospinal fluid, constituted the meningismus group. Thirty-one children (age range, 0.5 to 10 years) with acute bacterial meningitis constituted the meningitis group. Twenty-nine healthy children (age range, 0.5 to 11 years) were recruited as control subjects. Antioxidant status (ascorbic acid, albumin, thiol, uric acid, total bilirubin, total antioxidant capacity, catalase and ceruloplasmin concentrations) and oxidant status (lipid hydroperoxide and total oxidant status) were measured. The serum antioxidant status was lower, and oxidant status levels higher in both meningitis and meningismus subjects than in the control children (P < 0.001). Cerebrospinal fluid oxidant status was lower in the meningitis group than in the meningismus group (P < 0.05). These results indicate that serum antioxidant status was lower, and serum oxidant status was higher in children in the meningismus and meningitis groups, whereas cerebrospinal fluid oxidant status was higher in the meningismus group than in the meningitis group.