Salbutamol for transient tachypnea of the newborn.

BACKGROUND: Transient tachypnea of the newborn is characterized by tachypnea and signs of respiratory distress. Transient tachypnea typically appears within the first two hours of life in term and late preterm newborns. Although transient tachypnea of the newborn is usually a self-limited condition, it is associated with wheezing syndromes in late childhood. The rationale for the use of salbutamol (albuterol) for transient tachypnea of the newborn is based on studies showing that ß-agonists can accelerate the rate of alveolar fluid clearance. This review was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2020. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether salbutamol compared to placebo, no treatment or any other drugs administered to treat transient tachypnea of the newborn, is effective and safe for infants born at 34 weeks' gestational age with this diagnosis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2020, Issue 4) in the Cochrane Library; PubMed (1996 to April 2020), Embase (1980 to April 2020); and CINAHL (1982 to April 2020). We applied no language restrictions. We searched the abstracts of the major congresses in the field (Perinatal Society of Australia New Zealand and Pediatric Academic Societies) from 2000 to 2020 and clinical trial registries. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials and cluster trials comparing salbutamol versus placebo or no treatment or any other drugs administered to infants born at 34 weeks' gestational age or more and less than three days of age with transient tachypnea of the newborn. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard Cochrane methodology for data collection and analysis. The primary outcomes considered in this review were duration of oxygen therapy, need for continuous positive airway pressure and need for mechanical ventilation. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence. MAIN RESULTS: Seven trials, which included 498 infants, met the inclusion criteria. All trials compared a nebulized dose of salbutamol with normal saline. Four studies used one single dose of salbutamol; in two studies, three to four doses were provided; in one study, additional doses were administered if needed. The certainty of the evidence was low for duration of hospital stay and very low for the other outcomes. Among the primary outcomes of this review, four trials (338 infants) reported the duration of oxygen therapy, (mean difference (MD) -19.24 hours, 95% confidence interval (CI) -23.76 to -14.72); one trial (46 infants) reported the need for continuous positive airway pressure (risk ratio (RR) 0.73, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.39; risk difference (RD) -0.15, 95% CI -0.45 to 0.16), and three trials (254 infants) reported the need for mechanical ventilation (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.13 to 2.86; RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.03). Both duration of hospital stay (4 trials; 338 infants) and duration of respiratory support (2 trials, 228 infants) were shorter in the salbutamol group (MD -1.48, 95% CI -1.8 to -1.16; MD -9.24, 95% CI -14.24 to -4.23, respectively). One trial (80 infants) reported duration of mechanical ventilation and pneumothorax but data could not be extracted due to the reporting of these outcomes (type of units of effect measure and unclear number of events, respectively). Five trials are ongoing. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There was limited evidence to establish the benefits and harms of salbutamol in the management of transient tachypnea of the newborn. We are uncertain whether salbutamol administration reduces the duration of oxygen therapy, duration of tachypnea, need for continuous positive airway pressure and for mechanical ventilation. Salbutamol may slightly reduce hospital stay. Five trials are ongoing. Given the limited and low certainty of the evidence available, we could not determine whether salbutamol was safe or effective for the treatment of transient tachypnea of the newborn.

Initiation of respiratory support for extremely preterm infants at birth.

Neonatal resuscitation algorithms recommend assessing breathing and heart rate (HR) of newborns and giving respiratory support when one or both are unsatisfactory. Recommendations also state that preterm infants may be supported with continuous positive airway pressure rather than routinely intubated for positive pressure ventilation (PPV). We wished to describe the prevalence and time of initiation of respiratory support of extremely preterm and extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants at our hospital. We reviewed videos of 55 infants. Although most were breathing, practically all newly born extremely preterm ELBW infants were given respiratory support soon after arrival to the resuscitation cot. For the majority, this was done without knowing the HR. The majority received PPV; again, this was often done without knowing the HR. A quarter of infants were managed without any PPV.

ResUHUrge: A Low Cost and Fully Functional Ventilator Indicated for Application in COVID-19 Patients.

Although the cure for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) will come in the form of pharmaceutical solutions and/or a vaccine, one of the only ways to face it at present is to guarantee the best quality of health for patients, so that they can overcome the disease on their own. Therefore, and considering that COVID-19 generally causes damage to the respiratory system (in the form of lung infection), it is essential to ensure the best pulmonary ventilation for the patient. However, depending on the severity of the disease and the health condition of the patient, the situation can become critical when the patient has respiratory distress or becomes unable to breathe on his/her own. In that case, the ventilator becomes the lifeline of the patient. This device must keep patients stable until, on their own or with the help of medications, they manage to overcome the lung infection. However, with thousands or hundreds of thousands of infected patients, no country has enough ventilators. If this situation has become critical in the Global North, it has turned disastrous in developing countries, where ventilators are even more scarce. This article shows the race against time of a multidisciplinary research team at the University of Huelva, UHU, southwest of Spain, to develop an inexpensive, multifunctional, and easy-to-manufacture ventilator, which has been named ResUHUrge. The device meets all medical requirements and is developed with open-source hardware and software.

Early versus delayed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for respiratory distress in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: The application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to have some benefits in the treatment of preterm infants with respiratory distress. CPAP has the potential to reduce lung damage, particularly if applied early before atelectasis has occurred. Early application may better conserve an infant's own surfactant stores and consequently may be more effective than later application. OBJECTIVES: • To determine if early compared with delayed initiation of CPAP results in lower mortality and reduced need for intermittent positive-pressure ventilation in preterm infants in respiratory distress ○ Subgroup analyses were planned a priori on the basis of weight (with subdivisions at 1000 grams and 1500 grams), gestation (with subdivisions at 28 and 32 weeks), and according to whether surfactant was used ▫ Sensitivity analyses based on trial quality were also planned ○ For this update, we have excluded trials using continuous negative pressure SEARCH METHODS: We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2020, Issue 6), in the Cochrane Library; Ovid MEDLINE(R) and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations Daily and Versions(R); and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literatue (CINAHL), on 30 June 2020. We also searched clinical trials databases and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included trials that used random or quasi-random allocation to either early or delayed CPAP for spontaneously breathing preterm infants in respiratory distress. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used the standard methods of Cochrane and Cochrane Neonatal, including independent assessment of trial quality and extraction of data by two review authors. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We found four studies that recruited a total of 119 infants. Two were quasi-randomised, and the other two did not provide details on the method of randomisation or allocation used. None of these studies used blinding of the intervention or the outcome assessor. Evidence showed uncertainty about whether early CPAP has an effect on subsequent use of intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV) (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43 to 1.38; typical risk difference (RD) -0.08, 95% CI -0.23 to 0.08; I² = 0%, 4 studies, 119 infants; very low-certainty evidence) or mortality (typical RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.43 to 2.03; typical RD -0.02, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.12; I² = 33%, 4 studies, 119 infants; very low-certainty evidence). The outcome 'failed treatment' was not reported in any of these studies. There was an uncertain effect on air leak (pneumothorax) (typical RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.39 to 3.04, I² = 0%, 3 studies, 98 infants; very low-certainty evidence). No trials reported intraventricular haemorrhage or necrotising enterocolitis. No cases of retinopathy of prematurity were reported in one study (21 infants). One case of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was reported in each group in one study involving 29 infants. Long-term outcomes were not reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: All four small trials included in this review were performed in the 1970s or the early 1980s, and we are very uncertain whether early application of CPAP confers clinical benefit in the treatment of respiratory distress, or whether it is associated with any adverse effects. Further trials should be directed towards establishing the appropriate level of CPAP and the timing and method of administration of surfactant when used along with CPAP.

Chronic lung disease in preterm infants receiving various modes of noninvasive ventilation at ≤30 weeks' postmenstrual age.

Objective: To determine the incidence of chronic lung disease (CLD) in mechanically ventilated infants who were born at <29 weeks' gestational age (GA), extubated to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), and treated with CPAP/NIPPV alone, changed to heated humidified high flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC), or exposed to a combination of CPAP/NIPPV and HHHFNC at ≤30 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA).Study design: Retrospective cohort study of infants born at <29 weeks' GA admitted to tertiary Canadian neonatal intensive care units between 2011 and 2015. Infants were grouped according to the type of noninvasive ventilation they received at ≤30 weeks' PMA: CPAP/NIPPV alone, HHHFNC alone, or a combination of both.Results: Of the 2378 eligible infants, 1091 (46%) were on CPAP/NIPPV alone, 173 (7.3%) were on HHHFNC alone, and 1114 (47%) were on a combination of CPAP/NIPPV and HHHFNC at ≤30 weeks' PMA until weaned to room air or low flow nasal cannula. After adjustment for confounders, infants in both the CPAP/NIPPV (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]; 2.37 [1.18, 4.79]) and Combination (3.47 [2.06, 5.86]) groups had higher odds of developing CLD than infants in the HHHFNC group.Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that infants transitioned to HHHFNC ≤30 weeks' PMA after extubation to CPAP/NIPPV were associated with a lower odds of CLD than infants maintained on CPAP/NIPPV or a combination of CPAP/NIPPV and HHHFNC.

Comparison of three non-invasive ventilation strategies (NSIPPV/BiPAP/NCPAP) for RDS in VLBW infants.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) significantly changed the management of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants. Further perspectives for neonatologists regard the assessment of different NIV strategies in terms of availability, effectiveness, and failure. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of three different NIV strategies: nasal continuous positive airway pressure (N-CPAP), nasal synchronized intermittent positive pressure ventilation (N-SIPPV), and nasal bilevel-CPAP (BiPAP), as first intention treatment for RDS in very low birth-weight infants (VLBW). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted in three neonatal intensive care unit (NICUs) that enrolled 191 VLBW infants complicated by RDS, who received, as first intention treatment for RDS, three different NIV approaches (N-CPAP: n = 66; N-SIPPV: n = 62, BiPAP: n = 63). We evaluated the performance of different NIV strategies by primary (failure within the first 5 d of life) and some selected secondary end-points. RESULTS: The incidence of NIV failure was significantly higher in the N-CPAP group (22/66) versus N-SIPPV/BiPAP groups (11/62; 11/63) (p < .05 for both), while no difference was observed between N-SIPPV and BiPAP groups. Moreover, no differences were found between the three groups regarding secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that first intention N-SIPPV/BiPAP, as NIV support, augment the beneficial effects of N-CPAP contributing to a reduced risk of failure in VLBW infants complicated by RDS. Data open up to further RCTs on a wider population to evaluate NIV effectiveness on long-term outcomes.

Decrease in delivery room intubation rates after use of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation in the delivery room for resuscitation of very low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND: The literature supports minimizing duration of invasive ventilation to decrease lung injury in premature infants. Neonatal Resuscitation Program recommended use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in delivery room for infants requiring prolonged respiratory support. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of implementation of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) using nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) for resuscitation in very low birth infants. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study was performed after NIPPV was introduced in the delivery room and compared with infants receiving face mask to provide positive pressure ventilation for resuscitation of very low birth weight infants prior to its use. Data collected from 119 infants resuscitated using NIPPV and 102 infants resuscitated with a face mask in a single institution. The primary outcome was the need for endotracheal intubation in the delivery room. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 24. RESULTS: A total of 31% of infants were intubated in the delivery room in the NIPPV group compared to 85% in the Face mask group (p=<0.001). Chest compression rates were 11% in the NIPPV group and 31% in the Face mask group (p<0.001). Epinephrine administration was also lower in NIPPV group (2% vs. 8%; P=0.03). Only 38% infants remained intubated at 24hours of age in the NIPPV group compared to 66% in the Face mask group (p<0.001). Median duration of invasive ventilation in the NIPPV group was shorter (2days) compared to the Face mask group (11days) (p=0.01). The incidence of air-leaks was not significant between the two groups. CONCLUSION: NIPPV was safely and effectively used in the delivery room settings to provide respiratory support for VLBW infants with less need for intubation, chest compressions, epinephrine administration and subsequent invasive ventilation.

Comparison of non-synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation versus nasal continuous positive airway pressure as post-extubation respiratory support in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether post-extubation respiratory support via nsNIPPV decreases the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) compared to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). METHODS: In this randomized, controlled, open, prospective, single-center clinical trial, we randomly assigned preterm ventilated infants with RDS to either nsNIPPV or NCPAP after extubation. The primary outcome, extubation failure, was defined by pre-specified failure criteria in the 72 hours after extubation. RESULTS: A total of 63 preterm ventilated infants were randomized to receive either nsNIPPV (n = 31) or NCPAP (n = 32). Extubation failure occurred in six (19.3%) of nsNIPPV group compared with nine (28.12%) of NCPAP group and was statistically not significant (p = 0.55). The duration of NIV was significantly lower in nsNIPPV group as compared to NCPAP group (40.4 ± 39.3 hours versus 111.8 ± 116.4 hours, p = 0.003). The duration of supplementary oxygen was significantly lower in nsNIPPV versus NCPAP group (84.9 ± 92.1 hours versus 190.1 ± 140.5 hours, p = 0.002). The rates of BPD in nsNIPPV group (2/29, 6.9%) were significantly lower than in NCPAP group (9/28, 32.14%) (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to NCPAP, nsNIPPV appears to be a feasible mode of extubation in preterm infants with significant beneficial effects of reduced duration of NIV support, supplementary oxygen and decreased rates of BPD.

Neonatal Outcome of the Late Preterm Infant (34 to 36 Weeks): The Singapore Story.

INTRODUCTION: Late preterm (LP) neonates (34 to 36 weeks gestation) are often managed like term neonates though current literature has identified them to have greater complications. The primary objective of our study was to evaluate and compare morbidity and resource utilisation in LPs especially in view of paucity of Asian studies in this regard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective audit was carried out on 12,459 neonates born in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKWCH). The chief outcome measures were hypoglycaemia, hypothermia, respiratory morbidity, feeding problems and neonatal jaundice. Resource utilisation included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and length of hospitalisation. RESULTS: Of 12,459 deliveries, 1221 (10%) were LP deliveries with a significantly increasing trend of 8.6% to 10% from 2002 to 2008 (P = 0.001). Neonatal morbidity in the form of hypoglycaemia (34 weeks vs 35 to 36 weeks vs term: 26% vs 16% vs 1%); hypothermia (5% vs 1.7% vs 0.2%); feeding difficulties (30% vs 9% vs 1.4%); respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (4% vs 1% vs 0.1%); transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTNB) (23% vs 8% vs 3%) and neonatal jaundice (NNJ) needing phototherapy (63% vs 24% vs 8%), were significantly different between the 3 groups, with highest incidence in 34-week-old infants. Resource utilisation including intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) (15% vs 3.5% vs 1%), total parenteral nutrition/intravenous (TPN/IV) (53% vs 17% vs 3%) and length of stay (14 ± 22 days vs 4 ± 4.7 days vs 2.6 ± 3.9 days) was also significantly higher (P <0.001) in LPs. CONCLUSION: LP neonates had significantly higher morbidity and resource utilisation compared to term infants. Among the LP group, 34-week-old infants had greater complications compared to infants born at 35 to 36 weeks.

Systematic use of the RAM nasal cannula in the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: a quality improvement project.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the RAM nasal cannula (NC) with different modes of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: A single center prospective, observational study of infants placed on RAM NC. A small trial (Study 1) was completed in 16 infants on NIV via the RAM NC over a 48-h period to create Summary Statement recommendations. Next, over a 10-month period (Study 2), data were prospectively collected for the outcome of all infants receiving respiratory support with the RAM NC. Outcomes were compared between different modes of NIV and whether the recommendations were followed. RESULTS: The Study 2 population consisted of 88 infants of whom 67 infants received nasal continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (NCPAP) and 21 received nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) via the RAM NC. The NIPPV group tended to be younger, smaller and stayed on the RAM NC longer. The overall success rate in weaning off the RAM NC, if our guidelines were followed, was 63%. CONCLUSION: RAM NC use with NIV was well tolerated in the neonatal population with the use of our guidelines. We speculate that use of our guidelines will lead to a more systematic use of the RAM NC in the NICU.

Nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation with heliox in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation with heliox in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. METHODS: Premature infants with mild respiratory distress syndrome requiring non-invasive respiratory support were eligible. Infants were randomly assigned to heliox or air-oxygen group. The main outcome was the length of ventilation. RESULTS: Heliox significantly decreased the length of ventilation. The length of ventilation was positively correlated with interleukin-6 at baseline. Carbon dioxide elimination was better in the heliox group. CONCLUSION: Heliox delivered with nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation may be effective in reducing length of ventilation and increasing carbon dioxide elimination.

Ventilación neonatal en Cuba, modalidades más utilizadas y sobrevida durante el período 2002-2011 / Neonatal ventilation in Cuba, the most used modalities and the survival rates in the 2002-2011 period

Introducción: la asistencia respiratoria es un marcador de la evolución de la Neonatología. Objetivo: describir el comportamiento de las modalidades ventilatorias y su sobrevida en Cuba. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, multicéntrico nacional en 14 377 recién nacidos ventilados, durante el período 2002-2011. Se calculó el índice de ventilados, los porcentajes de las modalidades con presión positiva intermitente, presión positiva continua y alta frecuencia oscilatoria, y el porcentaje de sobrevida de cada una de ellas. Resultados: aumentó el índice de ventilación a 2 por ciento, el uso de presión positiva continua a 29 por ciento y con alta frecuencia oscilatoria a 7,2 por ciento, disminuyó la utilización de presión positiva intermitente a 64 por ciento. La sobrevida aumentó en todas las modalidades. Conclusiones: hubo un incremento de la ventilación con presión positiva continua, acompañado de una disminución de la ventilación con presión positiva intermitente. La sobrevida se incrementó en todas las modalidades empleadas

Introduction: The assisted ventilation is a development marker of neonatology. Objective: To describe the behavior of ventilation modalities and their survival rates in Cuba. Methods: A national multicenter descriptive study was conducted in 14 377 ventilated newborns in the period of 2002 through 2011. The index of ventilated patients, the percentages of modalities with intermittent positive pressure, continuous positive pressure and high oscillatory frequency, and the survival percentages of each of them were all estimated. Results: The ventilation index rose to 2 percent, the use of continuous positive pressure to 29 percent and the high oscillatory frequency to 7.2 percent but the use of intermittent positive pressure decreased to 64 percent. The survival rates increased in all the modalities. Conclusions: There was increase of continuous positive pressure ventilation and in turn a reduction of intermittent positive pressure ventilation. The survival rate increased in all the modalities

Epidemiology of noninvasive mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory failure--a retrospective population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) is a front-line therapy for the management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in the intensive care units. However, the data on factors and outcomes associated with the use of NIV in ARF patients is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to determine the utilization of NIV for ARF in a population-based study. METHODS: We conducted a populated-based retrospective cohort study, where in all consecutively admitted adults (≥18 years) with ARF from Olmsted County, Rochester, MN, at the Mayo Clinic medical and surgical ICUs, during 2006 were included. Patients without research authorization or on chronic NIV use for sleep apnea were excluded. RESULTS: Out of 1461 Olmsted County adult residents admitted to the ICUs in 2006, 364 patients developed ARF, of which 146 patients were initiated on NIV. The median age in years was 75 (interquartile range, 60-84), 48% females and 88.7% Caucasians. Eighteen patients (12%) were on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mode and 128 (88%) were on noninvasive intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) mode. Forty-six (10%) ARF patients were put on NIV for palliative strategy to alleviate dyspnea. Seventy-six ARF patients without treatment limitation were given a trial of NIV and 49 patients succeeded, while 27 had to be intubated. Mortality was similar between the patients initially supported with NIV versus invasive mechanical ventilation (33% vs 22%, P=0.289). In the multivariate analysis, the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and higher APACHE III scores were associated with the failure of initial NIV treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results have important implications for a future planning of NIV in a suburban US community with high access to critical care services. The higher APACHE III scores and the development of ARDS are associated with the failure of initial NIV treatment.

Practices of use of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in neonatology in northeastern Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in level three neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in northeastern Brazil. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2009 to January 2010 in all level three NICUs in northeastern Brazil that are registered in the Brazilian Registry of Health Establishments (Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde, CNES) of the Ministry of Health. Questionnaires about the use of NIPPV were sent to the NICU directors in each institution. Statistical analysis was conducted using the software Epi-Info 6.04 and double data entry. A chi-square test was used to compare variables, and the level of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: This study identified 93 level three NICUs in northeastern Brazil registered in CNES, and 87% answered the study questionnaire. Most classified themselves as private institutions (30.7%); 98.7% used NIPPV; 92.8% adapted mechanical ventilators for NIPPV and used short binasal prongs as the interface (94.2%). Only 17.3% of the units had a protocol for the use of NIPPV. Mean positive inspiratory pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure were 20.0 cmH2O (standard deviation [SD]: 4.47) and 5.0 cmH2O (SD: 0.84). CONCLUSION: NICUs in northeastern Brazil use nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation, but indications and ventilation settings are not the same in the different institutions.

Ventilation mode and outcome of premature infants with congenital chylothorax.

BACKGROUND: Congenital chylothorax (CC) is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. Over 50% occurs at birth and is considered as the most common cause of neonatal thoracic fluid collection. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the main clinical and respiratory features of a contemporary group of CC infants. METHODS: Databases for CC diagnosed between 2004 and 2009 were reviewed: 10 consecutive cases were retrieved and analysed. RESULTS: Median gestational age of CC patients was 31.8 weeks. Most patients were diagnosed prenatally (7/10 pts, median GA at diagnosis 28 weeks). Severe respiratory distress at birth required respiratory support: 7/10 newborns received high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) electively. Large effusions and/or early-onset pneumothorax did not influence the outcome, while prematurity did not impact significantly on mortality (death rate <33 weeks: 28%). The overall ICU survival rate was 70%. CONCLUSION: CC still carries a significant risk of perinatal mortality. Continuous advances in foetal/neonatal medicine and intensive care have considerably improved the prognosis in the last decades, mostly in critically ill infants. HFOV improves lung opening and volume maintenance, possibly shortening the lymph flow over time. It can play a fundamental role both to prevent hypoxic and chronic lung damage and to improve lung recruitment in neonates born with CC.

Prediction of arterial oxygen partial pressure after changes in FIO2: validation and clinical application of a novel formula.

BACKGROUND: Existing methods allow prediction of Pa(O2) during adjustment of Fi(O2). However, these are cumbersome and lack sufficient accuracy for use in the clinical setting. The present studies aim to extend the validity of a novel formula designed to predict Pa(O2) during adjustment of Fi(O2) and to compare it with the current methods. METHODS: Sixty-seven new data sets were collected from 46 randomly selected, mechanically ventilated patients. Each data set consisted of two subsets (before and 20 min after Fi(O2) adjustment) and contained ventilator settings, pH, and arterial blood gas values. We compared the accuracy of Pa(O2) prediction using a new formula (which utilizes only the pre-adjustment Pa(O2) and pre- and post-adjustment Fi(O2) with prediction using assumptions of constant Pa(O2)/Fi(O2) or constant Pa(O2)/Pa(O2). Subsequently, 20 clinicians predicted Pa(O2) using the new formula and using Nunn's isoshunt diagram. The accuracy of the clinician's predictions was examined. RESULTS: The 95% limits of agreement (LA(95%)) between predicted and measured Pa(O2) in the patient group were: new formula 0.11 (2.0) kPa, Pa(O2)/Fi(O2) -1.9 (4.4) kPa, and Pa(O2)/Pa(O2) -1.0 (3.6) kPa. The LA(95%) of clinicians' predictions of Pa(O2) were 0.56 (3.6) kPa (new formula) and -2.7 (6.4) kPa (isoshunt diagram). CONCLUSIONS: The new formula's prediction of changes in Pa(O2) is acceptably accurate and reliable and better than any other existing method. Its use by clinicians appears to improve accuracy over the most popular existing method. The simplicity of the new method may allow its regular use in the critical care setting.