Standardizing Prostaglandin Initiation in Prenatally Diagnosed Ductal-Dependent Neonates; A Quality Initiative.

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE) is used in patients with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease (CHD). Side effects of apnea and fever are often dose dependent and occur within 48 h after initiation. We initiated a standardized approach to PGE initiation after our institution recognized a high incidence of side effects and a wide variety of starting doses of PGE. Neonates with prenatally diagnosed ductal-dependent CHD were identified, started on a standardized protocol that started PGE at 0.01 mcg/kg/min, and evaluated for PGE related side effects. Compliance, outcomes and dose adjustments during the first 48 h post-PGE initiation were evaluated. Fifty patients were identified (25 pre-intervention; 25 post-intervention). After intervention, compliance with the protocol was 96%, and apnea or fever occurred in 28% (compared to 63% pre-intervention, p = 0.015). Dose adjustments (either increase or decrease) prior to cardiac surgery were similar in both cohorts (60%, 52%, p = 0.569). There were no mortalities or emergent procedures performed due to ductus arteriosus closure. Standardizing a protocol for initiating PGE in prenatally diagnosed ductal-dependent CHD was successful and reduced the incidence of apnea, fever, and sepsis evaluations. A starting dose of 0.01 mcg/kg/min did not cause increased adverse effects.

Framework for Considering Abnormal Heart Rate Characteristics and Other Signs of Sepsis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

OBJECTIVE: A heart rate characteristics index (HeRO score), incorporating low variability and superimposed decelerations, was developed as a sepsis risk indicator for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A rise in the risk score should prompt consideration of other clinical changes that may be signs of sepsis to decide whether a workup and antibiotics are needed. We aimed to develop a framework to systematically consider signs potentially indicating sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN: We developed easy-recall acronyms for 10 signs of sepsis in VLBW infants. Over 12 months in a level IV NICU, neonatology fellows completed a brief survey after each shift to document changes prompting sepsis workups. We analyzed associations between survey data, hourly heart rate characteristic data, and the diagnosis of the workup, grouped as culture-positive sepsis (CXSEP, positive blood or urine culture), clinical sepsis (CLINSEP, negative cultures treated with antibiotics ≥5 days), or sepsis ruled out (SRO, negative cultures and <3 days antibiotics). RESULTS: We analyzed 93 sepsis workups in 48 VLBW infants (35 CXSEP, 20 CLINSEP, and 38 SRO). The most frequently cited changes prompting the workups were heart rate patterns and respiratory deterioration, which were common in all three categories. Low blood pressure and poor perfusion were uncommonly cited but were more likely to be associated with CXSEP than the other signs. A rise in the HeRO score ≥1 from 0 to 12 hours before compared with 12to 72 hours prior the blood culture occurred in 31% of workups diagnosed as CXSEP, 16% CLINSEP, and 31% SRO. CONCLUSION: The HeRO score can alert clinicians to VLBW infants at high or increasing risk of a sepsis-like illness, but heart rate characteristic patterns are highly variable in individual babies. The easy-recall NeoSEP-10 framework can assist clinicians in considering other clinical changes when making decisions about sepsis workups and the duration of antibiotics. KEY POINTS: · Abnormal heart rate characteristics can indicate sepsis or other pathologies in preterm infants.. · We developed a simple bedside tool to consider clinical signs potentially associated with sepsis.. · Considering vital sign trends together with clinical changes is a key to right-timing antibiotics..