Use of neonatal lung ultrasound in European neonatal units: a survey by the European Society of Paediatric Research.

OBJECTIVE: Regarding the use of lung ultrasound (LU) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Europe, to assess how widely it is used, for what indications and how its implementation might be improved. DESIGN AND INTERVENTION: International online survey. RESULTS: Replies were received from 560 NICUs in 24 countries between January and May 2023. LU uptake varied considerably (20%-98% of NICUs) between countries. In 428 units (76%), LU was used for clinical indications, while 34 units (6%) only used it for research purposes. One-third of units had <2 years of experience, and only 71 units (13%) had >5 years of experience. LU was mainly performed by neonatologists. LU was most frequently used to diagnose respiratory diseases (68%), to evaluate an infant experiencing acute clinical deterioration (53%) and to guide surfactant treatment (39%). The main pathologies diagnosed by LU were pleural effusion, pneumothorax, transient tachypnoea of the newborn and respiratory distress syndrome. The main barriers for implementation were lack of experience with technical aspects and/or image interpretation. Most units indicated that specific courses and an international guideline on neonatal LU could promote uptake of this technique. CONCLUSIONS: Although LU has been adopted in neonatal care in most European countries, the uptake is highly variable. The main indications are diagnosis of lung disease, evaluation of acute clinical deterioration and guidance of surfactant. Implementation may be improved by developing courses and publishing an international guideline.

Incidence of traumatic lumbar punctures in adults: the impact of a patient's first procedure.

INTRODUCTION: Lumbar puncture (LP) is a widely used diagnostic method in patients of all ages. Blood-contaminated cerebrospinal fluid samples are frequent and may compromise diagnostic accuracy. OBJECTIVES: We determined age-specific incidences of traumatic LPs (TLPs) in adults and examined factors that accounted for the incidence of TLPs. METHODS: Erythrocyte count data from 15,812 LP procedures (2,404 were performed twice) were collected from hospital records of patients aged from 18 to 104 years. The incidence of TLPs in a patient's second LP procedure was evaluated with logistic regression analysis using the first LP, the time between the procedures and age as predictors. RESULTS: The incidence of TLP in the second procedure was at least double that in the first procedure. If the first procedure was traumatic, the odds ratio of a TLP in the second procedure was 7-40-fold. One day between the successive procedures was associated with an over 10-fold odds ratio increase of TLP, and a week was still 4-8-fold odds ratio increase. Age was also associated with the incidence of TLP. CONCLUSIONS: Two factors (a week or less between a patient's two LP procedures or a traumatic first LP) multiply the odds of the second procedure being traumatic and contribute to whether a patient's following LP procedure is successful.

Incidence of Traumatic Lumbar Punctures in Neonates and Infants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine factors accounting for the incidence of traumatic lumbar puncture (TLP) in infants younger than 1 year old. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data from 1,240 neonatal (≤28 days) and 399 infant lumbar puncture (LP) procedures was conducted. Data from two successive LP procedures were obtained from 108 patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors accounting for the incidence of TLP in the second LP procedure. The following categorical variables were entered into the model: whether the first procedure was traumatic according to criteria of ≥500 and ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL, whether the LP procedures were performed within a week, and whether the patient was neonatal at the first procedure. RESULTS: The incidences of TLP were 42.9% in neonates and 22.5% in infants for the criterion of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL, and 16.6 and 10.3% for the criterion of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL. Compared with a nontraumatic first LP procedure, if the first procedure was traumatic according to the criterion of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL, the odds ratio (OR) of TLP in the second procedure was 5.86 (p = 0.006). Compared with a longer time, if the successive procedures were performed within a week, the OR of TLP was 9.06 (p < 0.0001) according to the criteria of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL and 3.34 (p = 0.045) according to the criteria of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL. If the patient was neonatal at the first procedure, the OR of TLP at the second puncture was 0.32 (p = 0.031) according to the criterion of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of TLP in neonates is twice as high as that in infants. Successive LP procedures performed within a week and a highly blood-contaminated CSF sample in the first procedure each multiplied the odds of TLP in the second procedure, whereas being a neonate at the time of the first procedure reduced the odds of TLP. KEY POINTS: · Traumatic LPs increase diagnostic uncertainty.. · Traumatic LPs are twice as common in neonates as in infants.. · Two LPs performed within a week multiplied the odds of traumatic LP.. · Erythrocyte-based criteria for traumatic LP affect the incidence of TLP..

NIV-NAVA versus NCPAP immediately after birth in premature infants: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether noninvasive-neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA) decrease respiratory efforts compared to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) during the first hours of life. METHODS: Twenty infants born between 28+0 and 31+6 weeks were randomized to NIV-NAVA or NCPAP. Positive end-expiratory pressure was constantly kept at 6 cmH2O for both groups and the NAVA level was 1.0 cmH2O/µV for NIV-NAVA group. The electrical activity of diaphragm (Edi) were recorded for the first two hours. RESULTS: Peak and minimum Edi decreased similarly in both groups (P = 0.98 and P = 0.59, respectively). Leakages were higher in the NIV-NAVA group than in the NCPAP group (P < 0.001). The neural apnea defined as a flat Edi for ≥ 5 s were less frequent in NIV-NAVA group than in NCPAP group (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Immediately applied NIV-NAVA in premature infants did not reduce breathing effort, measured as peak Edi. However, NIV-NAVA decreased neural apneic episodes compared to NCPAP.

Traumatic lumbar punctures in diagnostic and intrathecal treatment punctures of pediatric hemato-oncology patients.

Successful first diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) is crucial because intrathecal chemotherapy has not yet protected the central nervous system against cancer cells. If blood contaminates the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with blasts, they may enter the central neural system and compromise the patient's health. We retrospectively determined the incidence of traumatic lumbar punctures (TLP) in 2,507 LPs of 250 pediatric hemato-oncology patients aged from one to 18 years, including both diagnostic and intrathecal treatment procedures, and 2,617 LPs of 1,525 other age-matched pediatric patients. We used ≥10 erythrocytes/µL in the CSF sample as the criterion of TLP. TLPs were less frequent in hemato-oncology patients than in other patients (31.6% vs. 48.5%, p < 0.0001). The incidence of TLP was significantly lower in the first diagnostic LP than in subsequent intrathecal treatment LPs (20.5% vs. 31.6%, p = 0.0046). According to logistic regression analysis, the odds of TLP was 1.6-fold if the LP procedure was not performed in the hemato-oncology department. The odds of the patient's next LP being traumatic were threefold if the previous first LP was traumatic. A week or less time between the first and next LP tripled the odds of TLP as well. The patient's age category was not significantly associated with the incidence of TLP. Given the risks of TLP, hemato-oncology patients' first diagnostic LP should include administration of chemotherapy, as generally recommended, and be performed under general anesthesia or deep sedation by an experienced physician to optimize not only the success of the first LP procedure but also following procedures.

Implementation of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist and high flow nasal cannula in very preterm infants in a tertiary level NICU.

Preterm infants treated with invasive ventilation are often affected by bronchopulmonary dysplasia, brain structure alterations, and later neurodevelopmental impairment. We studied the implementation of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in a level III neonatal unit, and its effects on pulmonary and central nervous system outcomes. This retrospective cohort study included 193 surviving infants born below 32 weeks of gestation in preimplementation (2007-2008) and postimplementation (2016-2017) periods in a single study center in Finland. The proportion of infants requiring invasive ventilation decreased from 67% in the pre- to 48% in the postimplementation period (p = 0.009). Among infants treated with invasive ventilation, 68% were treated with NAVA after its implementation. At the same time, the duration of invasive ventilation of infants born at or below 28 weeks increased threefold compared with the preimplementation period (p = 0.042). The postimplementation period was characterized by a gradual replacement of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) with HFNC, earlier discontinuation of nCPAP, but a longer duration of positive pressure support. The proportion of normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at term corrected age increased from 62% to 84% (p = 0.018). Cognitive outcome improved by one standard score between the study periods (p = 0.019). NAVA was used as the primary mode of ventilation in the postimplementation period. During this period, invasive ventilation time was significantly prolonged. HFNC led to a decrease in the use of nCPAP. The change in the respiratory support might have contributed to the improvement in brain MRI findings and cognitive outcomes.

Parent-infant skin-to-skin contact reduces the electrical activity of the diaphragm and stabilizes respiratory function in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: The physiological benefit of parent-infant skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is uncertain for preterm infants with ventilatory support. We aimed to investigate whether SSC stabilizes the respiration compared to incubator care in mechanically ventilated preterm infants. METHODS: The prospective observational study was performed in Turku University Hospital, Finland. Preterm infants were eligible if they were born before 36 weeks gestation and received respiratory support with either invasive or non-invasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA). SSC was applied as soon as possible after birth. Respiratory variables were collected from the ventilator log data, and SSC episodes were compared with matched control periods during incubator care. RESULTS: A total of 167 episodes of SSC were recorded from 17 preterm infants: 138 episodes during invasive NAVA and 29 episodes during non-invasive NAVA. During invasive NAVA, peak electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi), minimum Edi, respiratory rate, time on backup ventilation, peak inspiratory pressure, and mean airway pressure were significantly lower in SSC than in incubator care. During non-invasive NAVA, peak Edi, minimum Edi, time on backup ventilation, and peak inspiratory pressure were significantly lower in SSC than in incubator care. CONCLUSIONS: SSC stabilized and improved the respiratory physiology in mechanically ventilated preterm infants. IMPACT: Skin-to-skin contact reduced work of breathing compared to incubator care in mechanically ventilated preterm infants. Skin-to-skin contact reduced the need for backup ventilation during neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in preterm infants. Skin-to-skin contact among ventilated preterm infants was not only safe but also stabilized and improved their respiratory physiology.

Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in ventilated very preterm infants: A crossover study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) ventilation on oxygenation and respiratory parameters in preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: An observational crossover study with a convenience sample of 19 infants born before 30 gestational weeks. Study parameters were recorded during 3-h periods of both NAVA and conventional ventilation. The proportion of time peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) and cerebral regional oxygen saturation (cRSO2 ) were within their target ranges, plus the number and severity of desaturation episodes were analyzed. In addition, electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi), neural respiratory rates, and peak inspiratory pressures (PIPs) were recorded. RESULTS: Infants were born at a median age of 264/7 gestational weeks (range: 230/7 -293/7 ); the study was performed at a median age of 20 days (range: 1-82). The proportion of time SpO2 was within the target range, the number of peripheral desaturations or cRSO2 did not differ between the modes. However, the desaturation severity index was lower (131 vs. 152; p = .03) and fewer manual supplemental oxygen adjustments (1.3 vs. 2.2/h; p = .006) were needed during the period of NAVA ventilation following conventional ventilation. The mean Edi (8.1 vs. 11.4 µV; p < .006) and PIP values (14.9 vs. 19.1; p < .001) were lower during the NAVA mode. CONCLUSIONS: Although NAVA ventilation did not increase the proportion of time with optimal saturation, it was associated with decreased diaphragmatic activity, lower PIPs, less severe hypoxemic events, and fewer manual oxygen adjustments in very preterm infants.

Backup ventilation during neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the proportion of backup ventilation during neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) in preterm infants at different postmenstrual ages (PMAs) and to analyze the trends in backup ventilation in relation to clinical deteriorations. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in 18 preterm infants born at a median (range) 27+4 (23+4 -34+4 ) weeks of gestation with a median (range) birth weight of 1,100 (460-2,820) g, who received respiratory support with either invasive or noninvasive NAVA. Data on ventilator settings and respiratory variables were collected daily; the mean values of each 24-h recording were computed for each respiratory variable. For clinical deterioration, ventilator data were reviewed at 6-h intervals for 30 h before the event. RESULTS: A total of 354 patient days were included: 269 and 85 days during invasive and noninvasive NAVA, respectively. The time on backup ventilation (%/min) significantly decreased with increasing PMA during both invasive and noninvasive NAVA. The neural respiratory rate did not change over time. The median time on backup ventilation was less than 15%/min, and the median neural respiratory rate was more than 45 breaths/min for infants above 26+0 weeks PMA during invasive NAVA. The relative backup ventilation significantly increased before the episode of clinical deterioration. CONCLUSION: The proportion of backup ventilation during NAVA showed how the control of breathing matured with increasing PMA. Even the most immature infants triggered most of their breaths by their own respiratory effort. An acute increase in the proportion of backup ventilation anticipated clinical deterioration.

Real-time detection of cerebrospinal fluid with bioimpedance needle in paediatric lumbar puncture.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar puncture is a common clinical procedure that can occasionally be difficult. Various needle guidance methods can facilitate performing this procedure, but at the expense of special expertise, equipment and facility. In the present study, we evaluated the clinical feasibility of a novel bioimpedance needle system regarding its ability to detect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in paediatric lumbar punctures. METHODS: We performed 40 lumbar puncture procedures using the bioimpedance needle system in 37 paediatric patients, aged from 0 days to 17 months, as a part of their prescribed examinations in two university hospitals. The bioimpedance needle is similar to a conventional 22G cutting-edge spinal needle with a stylet, except the needle and stylet are configured as a bipolar electrode with high spatial resolution. The system measures in real-time when the needle tip reaches the subarachnoid space containing CSF. The procedure was considered successful when the erythrocyte count was determined from the obtained CSF sample. RESULTS: Subarachnoid space was verifiably reached in 28 out of 40 procedures (70%). Bioimpedance needle system detected CSF in 23 out of these 28 successful procedures (82%) while failed in 3 out of 28 procedures (11%). No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Bioimpedance spinal needle system was found clinically feasible in paediatric lumbar punctures, and it may offer an objective and simple means to detect the time point when the needle tip is in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid.

Nasal high-flow therapy decreased electrical activity of the diaphragm in preterm infants during the weaning phase.

AIM: We evaluated whether nasal high-flow therapy was better than no respiratory support during the weaning phase in preterm infants. METHODS: The study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Turku University Hospital between September 2014 and August 2015. Preterm infants who were alternating between nasal high-flow therapy and unassisted breathing were enrolled. Electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi) was recorded and compared during three-hour time periods for each option. RESULTS: We studied eight infants at a median gestational age of 31 weeks. The EAdi peak was lower during nasal high-flow therapy when compared to no respiratory support (6.1 µV vs 7.1 µV, p = 0.02), but the EAdi minimum was similar with and without respiratory support. Neural respiratory rate (62 vs 68 per minute, p = 0.02) and the frequency of sighs (27.8 vs 37.9 per hour, p = 0.03) were lower during nasal high-flow therapy than no respiratory support. CONCLUSION: Nasal high-flow therapy reduced diaphragm activation in our cohort when compared to no respiratory support, as indicated by the lower Edi peak. An increase in the respiratory rate and the sigh frequency without respiratory support also suggests that nasal high-flow therapy provided support during the weaning phase.

Rapid respiratory transition at birth as evaluated by electrical activity of the diaphragm in very preterm infants supported by nasal CPAP.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate breathing patterns during respiratory adaptation in preterm infants using the electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi) signal. PATIENTS: Infants born between 28 + 0 and 31 + 6 gestational weeks and supported by early nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) were studied. The EAdi signal was recorded for 120 min after birth. RESULTS: Eight preterm infants were evaluated. The median EAdi peak value of 19.2 µV (lower quartile 13.1; upper quartile 22.2) at 20 min after birth decreased to 11.4 µV (9.5-14.7) at 55 min of age. The median EAdi minimum value of 4.5 µV (2.2-5.5) at 25 min after birth decreased to 1.6 µV (1.2-2.7) at 85 min of age. CONCLUSION: EAdi was high right after birth. This indicates that preterm infants are capable of generating sufficient respiratory drive and diaphragm tone during expiration to establish and maintain functional residual capacity. Diaphragm activity decreased within the first 90 min, suggesting that early adaptation was accomplished by 90 min of age.

Two cases of low birth weight infant survival by prehospital emergency hysterotomy.

BACKGROUND: During maternal cardiac arrest, emergency hysterotomy (EH) is recommended after four minutes of resuscitation, if no signs of spontaneous circulation are detected. This extreme procedure is believed to be potentially beneficial for both the mother and the infant. Both maternal and neonatal survivals seem to be associated to the time delay between the cardiac arrest and the delivery and in-hospital resuscitation location. In addition to this, gestational age is an important determinant to neonatal outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two emergency hysterotomies executed in an out-of-hospital location. The infants delivered by EH were low birth weight infants and born 20-23 min after maternal cardiac arrest. Both infants survived and had normal physical and neurological growth at the age of two years. Unfortunately, mothers in these both cases died in the field. CONCLUSION: Contrary to earlier beliefs, it is possible to perform a successful EH also in out-of-hospital setting, even with incomplete surgical skills. However, training and preparation are extremely important for achieving the highest possible readiness to treat maternal cardiac arrest situations also prehospitally.

Gestational hyperglycemia reprograms cardiac gene expression in rat offspring.

BackgroundRat fetuses with maternal pregestational hyperglycemia develop cardiac dysfunction, and their cardiac gene expression differs from that of healthy control fetuses near term. We hypothesized that cardiac gene expression and morphologic abnormalities of rat fetuses with maternal pregestational hyperglycemia become normal after birth.MethodsNine rats were preconceptually injected with streptozotocin to induce maternal hyperglycemia and nine rats served as controls. The hyperglycemia group comprised 82 mice and the control group 74 offspring fed by euglycemic dams. Hearts of the offspring were collected on postnatal days 0, 7, and 14, and processed for histologic and gene expression analyses.ResultsOn day 0, heart weight was increased, and expression of cardiac genes involved in contractility, growth, and metabolism was decreased in the hyperglycemia group. On day 7, although cardiomyocyte apoptosis was enhanced, most of the changes in gene expression had normalized in the hyperglycemia group. By day 14, the expression of genes important for myocardial growth, function, and metabolism was again abnormal in the hyperglycemia group.ConclusionMost cardiac gene expression abnormalities become transiently normal during the first week of life of offspring to hyperglycemic rats. However, by day 14, cardiac expressions of genes involved in growth, function, and metabolism are again abnormal in relation to control offspring.

Ascites in newborns - a diagnostic challenge.

Isolated fetal ascites is a rare finding in prenatal ultrasound examination. The finding is always aberrant and requires further exploration. More than half of fetal ascites findings are associated with structural anomalies. Other causes include prenatal infections and genetic disorders. The cause and time of detection of ascites have an influence on the baby's prognosis. In spite of careful examinations the cause of ascites frequently remains open during pregnancy. During the first hours of life the baby needs intensive care, and when necessary, etiologic exploration will be simultaneously continued.

The effect of caffeine citrate on neural breathing pattern in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: Caffeine citrate is widely used to prevent and treat prematurity-associated apnea. AIMS: The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of caffeine citrate on the neural control of breathing, especially central apnea, in premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm infants were evaluated for 30min before and 30min after caffeine citrate loading (20mg/kg). A feeding tube including miniaturized sensors was used to measure the diaphragm electrical activity (Edi) waveform. Central apnea was defined as any period where the Edi waveform was flat for >5s. SUBJECTS: Seventeen preterm infants with a mean age of three days and mean birth weight of 900 grams were evaluated. OUTCOME MEASURES: In addition to central apnea, several parameters including neural inspiratory time, neural respiratory rate, peak Edi, delta inspiratory change in Edi (phasic Edi) and minimum Edi on exhalation were measured. RESULTS: The majority of the apnea were short (5 to 10s) and the number of apnea correlated with birth weight (p=0.039). Caffeine citrate reduced significantly the number of 5-to-10-second-long central apnea during the 30-minute periods (12±11 to 7±7; p=0.02). Caffeine citrate increased both peak and phasic Edi leading to a significant increase in the diaphragm energy expenditure. CONCLUSIONS: Edi signal can be reliably measured and processed to study changes in premature infants' neural breathing. The beneficial effect of caffeine citrate on the reduction of the number of apnea is mediated through stimulated neural breathing increasing the diaphragm energy expenditure.

The effects of skin-to-skin care on the diaphragmatic electrical activity in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: Skin-to-skin care (SSC) is widely used in neonatal intensive care units due to its positive effects on infant physiology and parent-infant interaction. AIMS: We investigated the safety and the effect of SSC on the diaphragm electrical activity (EAdi) in premature infants recovering from respiratory distress syndrome treated on noninvasive neurally adjusted respiratory assist. STUDY DESIGN: An observational cross-over study design was used. The infants were evaluated during SSC and in both prone and supine positions before and after SSC during a 9-hour study period. The EAdi was measured via miniaturized sensors incorporated into a feeding tube. SUBJECTS: Seventeen premature infants with a mean age of 20d (range, 2-43d) were studied. Their mean birth weight was 900g (490-1845g) and mean gestational age at birth 28wk (25-32wk). OUTCOME MEASURES: Under each condition, EAdi peak (representing tidal, neural inspiratory effort) and EAdi minimum (representing neural expiratory activity) were numerically quantified. Oxygen saturation, heart rate, and apnea were recorded. RESULTS: The mean EAdi minimum values were lower during SSC and prone position. In addition, a tendency towards lower EAdi peak values was found during SSC. There were no differences in the occurrence of apnea between the study phases. CONCLUSIONS: SSC is safe and it is not associated with increased neural activity of the diaphragm. On the contrary, low EAdi minimum values were registered reflecting more complete diaphragmatic de-activation between respiratory cycles.