Factors associated with red blood cell transfusions in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants in Brazilian neonatal units.

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units frequently receive red blood cells (RBC) transfusions due to the anemia of prematurity. A number of variables related to gestational age, severity of illness and transfusion practices adopted in the neonatal unit where the neonate was born may contribute to the prescription of RBC transfusions. This study aimed to analyse the frequency and factors associated with RBC transfusions in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 4283 preterm infants (gestational age: 29.9 ± 2.9 weeks; birth weight: 1084 ± 275 g) carried out at 16 university hospitals in Brazil between January 2009 and December 2011 was analysed. Factors associated with RBC transfusions were evaluated using univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2208 (51.6%) infants received RBC transfusions (variation per neonatal unit: 34.1% to 66.4%). RBC transfusions were significantly associated with gestational age (OR: -1.098; 95%CI: -1.12 to -1.04), SNAPPE II score (1.01; 1.00-1.02), apnea (1.69; 1.34-2.14), pulmonary hemorrhage (2.65; 1.74-4.031), need for oxygen at 28 days of life (1.56; 1.17-2.08), clinical sepsis (3.22; 2.55-4.05), necrotising enterocolitis (3.80; 2.26-6.41), grades III/IV intraventricular hemorrhage (1.64; 1.05-2.58), mechanical ventilation (2.27; 1.74-2.97), use of umbilical catheter (1.86; 1.35-2.57), parenteral nutrition (2.06; 1.27-3.33), >60 days of hospitalization (5.29; 4.02-6.95) and the neonatal unit where the neonate was born. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of RBC transfusions varied among neonatal intensive care units. Even after adjusting for adverse health conditions and therapeutic interventions, the neonatal unit continued to influence transfusion practices in very-low birth-weight infants.

T-piece versus self-inflating bag ventilation in preterm neonates at birth.

OBJECTIVE: To verify whether the use of the T-piece resuscitator compared with the self-inflating bag in preterm infants ventilated at birth modifies survival to hospital discharge without major morbidities. DESIGN: Pragmatic prospective cohort study. SETTING: 20 Brazilian university hospitals of Brazilian Network on Neonatal Research. Patients were 1962 inborn infants in 2014-2015 ventilated at birth with 23-33' weeks gestation and birth weight 400-1499 g without malformations. Patients transferred until the 27th day after birth were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Positive pressure ventilation at birth with T-piece resuscitator or self-inflating bag without positive end expiratory pressure valve. Intervention with ventilation followed the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics guidelines. The choice of the equipment was at the neonatologist's discretion in each delivery. The main outcome measures were survival to hospital discharge without bronchopulmonary dysplasia, severe peri-intraventricular haemorrhage and periventricular leucomalacia. Logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables was applied for main outcome. RESULTS: 1456 (74%) were only ventilated with T-piece resuscitator and 506 (26%) with the self-inflating bag. The characteristics of those ventilated with T-Piece resuscitator versus self-inflating bag were birth weight 969 ± 277 vs 941 ± 279 g, gestational age 28.2±2.5 vs 27.8±2.7 weeks and survival to hospital discharge without major morbidities 47% vs 35%. Logistic regression adjusted for maternal characteristics, obstetric and neonatal morbidities showed that the T-piece resuscitator increased the chance of survival to hospital discharge without major morbidities (OR=1.38; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.80; Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit: 0.695). CONCLUSION: This study is the first that highlights the effectiveness of T-piece resuscitator ventilation in improving relevant outcomes in preterm neonates.

Rotinas de Neonatologia / Routines of Neonatologia

Trata-se de um manual técnico, contendo normas e rotinas das principais doenças que ocorrem no período neonatal, tendo como objetivo a organização do serviço, colaborando para a formação e aprendizado dos acadêmicos de medicina, residentes de pediatria e de neonatologia pediatras gerais e neonatologistas.