Multi-centre randomised trial of invasive and less invasive surfactant delivery methods showed similar spirometry results at 5-9 years of age.

AIM: We explored whether subnormal forced expiratory volume within 1 s (FEV1 ) at 5-9 years of age was lower in children born preterm who received less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) rather than surfactant via an endotracheal tube. METHODS: The multi-centre, randomised Nonintubated Surfactant Application trial enrolled 211 preterm infants born at 23-26 weeks of gestation from 13 level III neonatal intensive care units from April 2009 to March 2012. They received surfactant via LISA (n = 107) or after conventional endotracheal intubation (n = 104). The follow-up assessments were carried out by a single team blinded to the group assignments. The main outcome was FEV1 < 80% of predicted values. RESULTS: Spirometry was successful in 102/121 children. The other children died or were lost to follow-up. Median FEV1 was 93% (interquartile range 80%-113%) of predicted values in the LISA group and 86% (interquartile range 77-102%) in the control group (p = 0.685). Rates of FEV1 < 80% were 11/57 (19%) and 15/45 (33%), respectively, which was an absolute risk reduction of 14% (95% confidence interval -3.1% to 31.2%, p = 0.235). There were no differences in other outcome measures. CONCLUSION: The proportion of children aged 5-9 years with subnormal FEV1 was not significantly different between the groups.

Differences in cost consciousness between physicians and nurses in German neonatal intensive care units.

AIM: This study assessed the cost consciousness of nurses and physicians in German neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and identified factors affecting cost consciousness. METHODS: This study on cost consciousness was part of the German Safety4NICU study, a cross-sectional survey conducted from 2015 to 2016. All 224 German NICUs were invited to take part in the survey, and written consent was obtained from the leading physicians and nurses. The various professions were addressed via specific questionnaires. The cost survey tool identified the participants' responsibility and their desired focus on cost consciousness. RESULTS: Of the 1406 nurses and 496 physicians from 84 NICUs, 64.4% of the nurses and 62.5% of the physicians agreed that they shared responsibility for controlling costs. The computed score to define the overall cost consciousness level was 4.47. We identified a significantly positive association between cost consciousness, longer total clinical work experience and a decreased number of NICU intensive care beds. Increased cost consciousness was found in both men and physicians. Other hospital characteristics did not have an effect. CONCLUSION: Neonatology is a medical speciality where the tension between economics and the benefit of patients is extremely high. We found a moderate level of cost consciousness among NICU physicians and nurses.

Use of analgesic and sedative drugs in VLBW infants in German NICUs from 2003-2010.

UNLABELLED: Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants frequently receive analgesia and/or sedation for painful procedures and mechanical ventilation to avoid negative stress. Yet, concerns remain regarding potential adverse long-term effects of these drugs on VLBW infants' neurocognitive outcome. Recent studies have shown that less invasive surfactant application (LISA) and early nasal CPAP treatment reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and painful procedures. Therefore, these measures might also reduce the application of analgesic and/or sedative drugs in VLBW infants. To evaluate this hypothesis and to identify potential changes in analgesic treatment concepts in recent years, we retrospectively analyzed data on analgesia and sedation, respiratory support, and the method of surfactant application in VLBW infants enrolled in the German Neonatal Network (GNN) trial between 2003 and 2009 (period 1) and compared it with data from infants participating in GNN in 2010 (period 2). In both periods, about one third of all infants were treated with analgesic and/or sedative drugs using a wide variety of substances. The administration of novel drugs such as propofol, sufentanil, or intravenous paracetamol was higher in 2010 (6.7 vs. 12.2 %). Infants who were treated with CPAP only received significantly less analgesic/sedative medication than infants who were mechanically ventilated (12 vs. 65 %, p=<0.001). Similarly, infants treated with LISA received less analgesic or sedative drugs as compared to infants who received surfactant via endotracheal intubation (36 vs. 63 %, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Although both avoidances of mechanical ventilation and less invasive surfactant application are associated with reduced analgesic or sedative treatment, the percentage of VLBW infants who received analgesia and/or sedation remained unchanged in Germany in recent years.

Drug-drug interactions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: how to overcome a challenge.

INTRODUCTION: Critically ill patients in neonatal intensive-care units (NICU) are exposed to a large number of drugs. Clinical trials for safety, dosing and efficacy are lacking although age-dependent alterations of pharmacokinetics (PK), drug-drug-interactions (DDIs), as well as intravenous admixture incompatibilities (IAI) may impact drug efficacy and trigger side-effects in this vulnerable population. Consequently, implementation of a routinely used DDIs checking regimen may help guide in decision making and will assist clinicians to avoid serious and preventable events. Therefore, the goal of the present work is to identify and assess the risk of relevant DDIs of drugs commonly used in the NICU. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A literature review study was performed to identify and further assess the risk of relevant DDIs of 48 drugs frequently used in the tertiary care NICU of the University Hospital of Cologne. DDIs were categorized into five different classes according to their severity (contraindicated, minor, moderate, and major DDI, IAI), based on the classification used in the Micromedex database. In the database a major interaction is defined as any interaction that can be life threatening and/or demands medical intervention to avoid severe adverse effects. Moderate interactions can lead to a degradation of the patient's status and demand an adjustment in the therapy, and minor interactions only have a limited clinical effect. All identified DDIs in the present study are presented as a Visual Interaction Triangle (VIT) and recommendations on the management of clinically significant DDIs are provided. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: According to the classification used in the Micromedex database: a total of 160 (13.2%) possible interactions (DDI, IAI) were found. Fifty-five (4.9%) cases were categorized as serious interactions (DDI-major), 48 (4.2%) were less severe (DDI-moderate/minor) and in 52 (4.6%) cases an intravenous admixture drug interaction was found. Five (0.4%) drug-combinations were contraindicated. CONCLUSIONS: In this web-based study, a total of 160 DDIs were identified. Although only 4.9% were classified as clinically relevant, practitioners can use the presented VIT as a unique clinical reference to avoid possible predictable adverse effects and to uncover possible drug-interaction potential.

Evidence and consensus based guideline for the management of delirium, analgesia, and sedation in intensive care medicine. Revision 2015 (DAS-Guideline 2015) - short version.

In 2010, under the guidance of the DGAI (German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine) and DIVI (German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine), twelve German medical societies published the "Evidence- and Consensus-based Guidelines on the Management of Analgesia, Sedation and Delirium in Intensive Care". Since then, several new studies and publications have considerably increased the body of evidence, including the new recommendations from the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) in conjunction with Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) from 2013. For this update, a major restructuring and extension of the guidelines were needed in order to cover new aspects of treatment, such as sleep and anxiety management. The literature was systematically searched and evaluated using the criteria of the Oxford Center of Evidence Based Medicine. The body of evidence used to formulate these recommendations was reviewed and approved by representatives of 17 national societies. Three grades of recommendation were used as follows: Grade "A" (strong recommendation), Grade "B" (recommendation) and Grade "0" (open recommendation). The result is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, evidence and consensus-based set of level 3 guidelines. This publication was designed for all ICU professionals, and takes into account all critically ill patient populations. It represents a guide to symptom-oriented prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of delirium, anxiety, stress, and protocol-based analgesia, sedation, and sleep-management in intensive care medicine.