Risk factors and epidemiology of spontaneous intestinal perforation among infants born at 22-24 weeks' gestational age.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology, risk factors, and timing of spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) among infants born at 22-24 weeks' gestational age (GA). STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study among infants born at 22-24 weeks' GA in 446 neonatal intensive care units. RESULTS: We identified 9712 infants, of whom 379 (3.9%) developed SIP. SIP incidence increased with decreasing GA (P < 0.001). Antenatal magnesium (odds ratio (OR) 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09-1.85), antenatal indomethacin (OR 1.40; 95% CI, 1.06-1.85), postnatal indomethacin (OR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.23-2.11), and postnatal hydrocortisone exposure (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.50-2.73) were associated with SIP. Infants who lost 15-20% (OR 1.77; 95% CI, 1.28-2.44) or >20% (OR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.46-2.85) of birth weight had higher odds of SIP than infants with weight loss <10%. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal magnesium exposure, antenatal indomethacin exposure, postnatal hydrocortisone exposure, postnatal indomethacin exposure, and weight loss ≥15% were associated with SIP.

The association of placental pathology and neurodevelopmental outcomes in patients with neonatal encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Studies conflict on how acute versus chronic placental pathology impacts outcomes after neonatal encephalopathy from presumed hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). We examine how outcomes after presumed HIE vary by placental pathology categories. METHODS: We performed retrospective chart review for neonates with presumed HIE, regardless of severity, focusing on 50 triads for whom placental specimens were available for re-review. Placentas were categorized as having only acute, any chronic, or no lesions. Primary outcomes included in-hospital morbidity/mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental symptoms. Secondary outcomes assessed neonatal MRI and EEG. RESULTS: Demographics did not differ between groups. Forty-seven neonates were treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Placental acuity category was not associated with primary or secondary outcomes, but clinical and/or histopathological chorioamnionitis was associated with abnormal EEG background and post-neonatal epilepsy (16.7%, n = 3 with chorioamnionitis versus 0%, n = 0 without chorioamnionitis, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: When grouped by acute, chronic, or absent placental lesions, we observed no association with in-hospital, neurodevelopmental, MRI, or EEG outcomes. When reanalyzed by the presence of chorioamnionitis, we found that chorioamnionitis appeared to be associated with a higher risk of EEG alterations and post-neonatal epilepsy. Despite our limited sample size, our results emphasize the critical role of placental examination for neuroprognostication in presumed HIE. IMPACT: Neonatal encephalopathy presumed to result from impaired fetal cerebral oxygenation or blood flow is called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Prior studies link placental pathology to various outcomes after HIE but disagree on the impact of acute versus chronic pathology. Our study determines that neurodevelopmental outcomes, in-hospital outcomes, injury on MRI, and EEG findings in patients with HIE are not differentially associated with acute versus chronic placental pathology. Chorioamnionitis is associated with an increased risk of abnormal EEG patterns and post-neonatal epilepsy. Histopathologic chorioamnionitis without clinical symptoms is common in HIE, emphasizing the crucial role of placental pathology for neuroprognostication.

Early pumping frequency and coming to volume for mother's own milk feeding in hospitalized infants.

OBJECTIVE: To identify daily pumping frequencies associated with coming to volume (CTV: producing > 500 milliliters of milk per day by postnatal day 14) for mothers of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). STUDY DESIGN: We compared demographics and daily pumping frequencies for mothers who did and did not experience CTV. RESULTS: Of 427 mothers who produced milk, 201 (50.1%) experienced CTV. Race, insurance, delivery type and birthweight were associated with CTV. For mothers who experienced CTV, average pumping episodes increased daily, stabilizing at 5 pumping episodes per day by postnatal day 5 (5 × 5). Women who experienced CTV were also more likely to have pumped between 0100 and 0500 (AM pumping). In multivariable analysis birthweight, 5 × 5 and AM pumping were each independently associated with CTV. CONCLUSION: Supporting mothers of NICU infants to achieve 5 or more daily pumping sessions by postnatal day 5 could improve likelihood of achieving CTV.

Intensification of Red-G dye degradation used in the dyeing of alpaca wool by advanced oxidation processes assisted by hydrodynamic cavitation.

Red-G dye is one of the main dyes used in the textile industry to dye alpaca wool. Therefore, considering the large volume of processed wool in Perú, the development of efficient technologies for its removal is a present scientific issue. In this study, an integrated system based on hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and photo-Fenton process was evaluated to remove the Red-G dye. Using a hybrid cavitation device (venturi + orifice plate), the effect of pH was evaluated, achieving 21 % of removal at pH 2 which was more than 80 % higher compared to pH 4 and 6. The effect of temperature was also evaluated in HC-system at pH 2, where percentage of dye degradation increased at lower temperatures (around 20 °C). Then, 50.7 % of dye was removed under optimized condition of HC-assisted Fenton process (FeSO4:H2O2 of 1:30), that value was improved strongly by UV-light incorporation in the HC-system, increasing to 99 % removal efficiency with respect to HC-assisted Fenton process and reducing the time to 15 min. Finally, the developed cavitation device in combination with photo-Fenton process removed efficiently the dye and thus could be considered an interesting option for application to real wastewater.

Ultra-Selective CMSMs Derived from Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Resin for CO2 Separation.

A resorcinol-formaldehyde precursor was synthesized to fabricate the CO2 selective Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes (CMSMs) developed in this study. The degree of polymerization (DP) was analyzed via Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and its effect on the CO2/N2 perm-selectivity and CO2 permeance was investigated. The membrane that was polymerized at 80 °C (named R80) was selected as the best performing CMSM after a preliminary test. The post treatment with oxidative atmosphere was performed to increase the CO2 permeance and CO2/N2 perm-selectivity on membrane R80. The gas permeation results and Pore Size Distribution (PSD) measurements via perm-porometry resulted in selecting the membrane with an 80 °C polymerization temperature, 100 min of post treatment in 6 bar pressure and 120 °C with an oxygen concentration of 10% (named R80T100) as the optimum for enhancing the performance of CMSMs. The 3D laser confocal microscopy results confirmed the reduction in the surface roughness in post treatment on CMSMs and the optimum timing of 100 min in the treatment. CMSM R80T100 exhibiting CO2/N2 ideal selectivity of 194 at 100 °C with a CO2 permeability of 4718 barrier was performed higher than Robeson's upper bound limit for polymeric membranes and also the other CMSMs fabricated in this work.

Online clinical tool to estimate risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: Develop an online estimator that accurately predicts bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) severity or death using readily-available demographic and clinical data. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of data entered into a prospective registry. SETTING: Infants cared for at centres of the United States Neonatal Research Network between 2011 and 2017. PATIENTS: Infants 501-1250 g birth weight and 23 0/7-28 6/7 weeks' gestation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Separate multinomial regression models for postnatal days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 were developed to estimate the individual probabilities of death or BPD severity (no BPD, grade 1 BPD, grade 2 BPD, grade 3 BPD) defined according to the mode of respiratory support administered at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. RESULTS: Among 9181 included infants, birth weight was most predictive of death or BPD severity on postnatal day 1, while mode of respiratory support was the most predictive factor on days 3, 7, 14 and 28. The predictive accuracy of the models increased at each time period from postnatal day 1 (C-statistic: 0.674) to postnatal day 28 (C-statistic 0.741). We used these results to develop a web-based model that provides predicted estimates for BPD by postnatal day. CONCLUSION: The probability of BPD or death in extremely preterm infants can be estimated with reasonable accuracy using a limited amount of readily available clinical information. This tool may aid clinical prognostication, future research, and center-specific quality improvement surrounding BPD prevention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00063063.

Alternative methods for cleaning membranes in water and wastewater treatment.

Membrane fouling is caused by foulant deposition or adsorption through physical or chemical interactions on the membrane surface, causing the reduction of flux through the membrane. The main drawbacks of chemical agents used for cleaning are cost, damage caused on the membrane, and waste stream making the process unattractive. Alternative, methods such as ultrasound, enzymatic process, and osmotic backwashing were explored for membrane cleaning. Among all mentioned methods, micronanobubbles have been reported as a promising and emergent method for membrane surface cleaning; unfortunately, the information is limited, but preliminary studies have shown it as an efficient, cheap, and environmentally friendly technique. Other methods like electrically and vibratory-enhanced membrane cleaning also could be interesting but currently are unexplored and information is limited. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Chemical cleaning is an efficient option; however, from an environmental point of view, it is not attractive, and high concentrations could cause damage to the membrane. Micronanobubbles are an emergent and suitable technology for membrane and surface cleaning. Membrane modification and functionalization avoid membrane fast fouling, and the cleaning process is easier, but the manufacture cost could be expensive.

Emerging contaminants, SARS-COV-2 and wastewater treatment plants, new challenges to confront: A short review.

The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has put public health at risk, being wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) a potential tool in the detection, prevention, and treatment of present and possible future outbreaks, since this virus enters wastewater through various sources such as feces, vomit, and sputum. Thus, advanced technologies such as advanced oxidation processes (AOP), membrane technology (MT) are identified through a systematic literature review as an alternative option for the destruction and removal of emerging contaminants (drugs and personal care products) released mainly by infected patients. The objectives of this review are to know the implications that the new COVID-19 outbreak is generating and will generate in water compartments, as well as the new challenges faced by wastewater treatment plants due to the change in a load of contaminants and the solutions proposed based on the aforementioned technologies to be applied to preserve public health and the environment.

Acid precipitation followed by microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) cultivation as a new approach for poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment.

Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) contains high organic matter and nutrients requiring thus a special treatment before its final disposal. In this work, acid precipitation (H2SO4) followed by microalgae "Chlorella vulgaris" cultivation both in batch and continuous processes was studied as an alternative method for PSW treatment. By reducing the pH value of PSW from 6 to 7 to 4, about 80% of the total chemical oxygen demand (CODT) was removed as sludge. In the supernatant, the COD residual was efficiently removed (83%) by microalgae in the batch process, using an internal-loop concentric tube photobioreactor (4.5 L). Moreover, in continuous process, after 89 h, the COD value resulted lower than 200 mg L-1 and 1.2 g L-1 of microalgae in the output line. The proposed PSW treatment method is promising from economic and environmental viewpoints, since the microalgal biomass can be valued in a biorefinery context.

Augmented Reality-Assisted Video Laryngoscopy and Simulated Neonatal Intubations: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: For novice providers, achieving competency in neonatal intubation is becoming increasingly difficult, possibly because of fewer intubation opportunities. In the present study, we compared intubation outcomes on manikins using direct laryngoscopy (DL), indirect video laryngoscopy (IVL) using a modified disposable blade, and augmented reality-assisted video laryngoscopy (ARVL), a novel technique using smart glasses to project a magnified video of the airway into the intubator's visual field. METHODS: Neonatal intensive care nurses (n = 45) with minimal simulated intubation experience were randomly assigned (n = 15) to the following 3 groups: DL, IVL, and ARVL. All participants completed 5 intubation attempts on a manikin using their assigned modalities and received verbal coaching by a supervisor, who viewed the video while assisting the IVL and ARVL groups. The outcome and time of each attempt were recorded. RESULTS: The DL group successfully intubated on 32% of attempts compared to 72% in the IVL group and 71% in the ARVL group (P < .001). The DL group intubated the esophagus on 27% of attempts, whereas there were no esophageal intubations in either the IVL or ARVL groups (P < .001). The median (interquartile range) time to intubate in the DL group was 35.6 (22.9-58.0) seconds, compared to 21.6 (13.9-31.9) seconds in the IVL group and 20.7 (13.2-36.5) seconds in the ARVL group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Simulated intubation success of neonatal intensive care nurses was significantly improved by using either IVL or ARVL compared to DL. Future prospective studies are needed to explore the potential benefits of this technology when used in real patients.

Influence of Early Lactation Assistance on Inpatient Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates.

BACKGROUND: Human milk feeding reduces the incidence and costs of several maternal and childhood illnesses. Initiation and success of human milk feeding are influenced by race, socioeconomic status, and family support. The influence of early in-hospital lactation assistance in breastfeeding success has been not well described. RESEARCH AIMS: We aimed to determine how suspected known factors influencing breastfeeding success influence in-hospital human milk feeding rates. Second, we aimed to examine how timing of lactation assistance is related to success of human milk feeding during the newborn hospitalization for healthy infants. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of term infants born between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016 at a large tertiary academic hospital. We considered "success" to be 100% human milk feeding during the birth hospitalization, and compared differences in success by demographics, payor, race, and initial feeding preference. Influences of lactation assistance on success were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Mean success with exclusive human milk feeding among 7,370 infants was 48.9%, (n = 3,601). Successful participants were more likely to be 39-40 weeks' gestation (64.9%, n = 2,340), non-Hispanic/non-Latino (80.0%, n = 2,882), and using private insurance (69.2%, n = 2,491). Participants who had early feeding assisted by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) before being fed any formula were more likely to be successful than participants who had a feeding assisted by a non-IBCLC nurse (80% vs. 40% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Success for exclusive human milk feeding during newborn hospitalization is strongly associated with several factors. Early intervention with IBCLCs can greatly improve breastfeeding success.

Survival, Morbidities, and Developmental Outcomes among Low Birth Weight Infants with Congenital Heart Defects.

OBJECTIVE: Prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) are risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality in infants with congenital heart defects (CHDs). We sought to describe survival, inhospital morbidities, and 2-year neurodevelopmental follow-up in LBW infants with CHD. STUDY DESIGN: We included infants with birth weight (BW) <2,500 g diagnosed with CHD (except isolated patent ductus arteriosus) admitted January 2013 to March 2016 to a single level-IV academic neonatal intensive care unit. We reported CHD prevalence by BW and gestational age; selected in-hospital morbidities and mortality by infant BW, CHD type, and surgical intervention; and developmental outcomes by Bayley's scales of infant and toddler development, third edition (BSID-III) scores at age 2 years. RESULTS: Among 420 infants with CHD, 28 (7%) underwent cardiac surgery. Median (25th and 75th percentiles) gestational age was 30 (range: 27-33) weeks and BW was 1,258 (range: 870-1,853) g. There were 134 of 420 (32%) extremely LBW (<1,000 g) infants, 82 of 420 (20%) were small for gestational age, and 51 of 420 (12%) multiples. Most common diagnosis: atrial septal defect (260/420, 62%), followed by congenital anomaly of the pulmonary valve (75/420, 18%). Most common surgical procedure: pulmonary artery banding (5/28, 18%), followed by the tetralogy of Fallot corrective repair (4/28, 14%). Survival to discharge was 88% overall and lower among extremely LBW (<1,000 g, 81%) infants and infants undergoing surgery (79%). Comorbidities were common (35%); retinopathy of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were most prevalent. BSID-III scores were available on 148 of 176 (84%); any scores <85 were noted in 73 of 148 (49%), with language being most commonly affected. CONCLUSION: Among LBW infants with congenital heart disease, hospital mortality varied by BW and cardiac diagnosis. KEY POINTS: · In low birth weight infants with congenital heart disease, survival varied by birth weight and cardiac diagnosis.. · Overall survival was higher than previously reported.. · There were fewer morbidities than previously reported.. · Bayley's scale-III scores at 2 years of age were <85 for nearly half..

Attention-Based Network for Weak Labels in Neonatal Seizure Detection.

Seizures are a common emergency in the neonatal intesive care unit (NICU) among newborns receiving therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The high incidence of seizures in this patient population necessitates continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring to detect and treat them. Due to EEG recordings being reviewed intermittently throughout the day, inevitable delays to seizure identification and treatment arise. In recent years, work on neonatal seizure detection using deep learning algorithms has started gaining momentum. These algorithms face numerous challenges: first, the training data for such algorithms comes from individual patients, each with varying levels of label imbalance since the seizure burden in NICU patients differs by several orders of magnitude. Second, seizures in neonates are usually localized in a subset of EEG channels, and performing annotations per channel is very time-consuming. Hence models which make use of labels only per time periods, and not per channels, are preferable. In this work we assess how different deep learning models and data balancing methods influence learning in neonatal seizure detection in EEGs. We propose a model which provides a level of importance to each of the EEG channels - a proxy to whether a channel exhibits seizure activity or not, and we provide a quantitative assessment of how well this mechanism works. The model is portable to EEG devices with differing layouts without retraining, facilitating its potential deployment across different medical centers. We also provide a first assessment of how a deep learning model for neonatal seizure detection agrees with human rater decisions - an important milestone for deployment to clinical practice. We show that high AUC values in a deep learning model do not necessarily correspond to agreement with a human expert, and there is still a need to further refine such algorithms for optimal seizure discrimination.

Patterns of phlebotomy blood loss and transfusions in extremely low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: Characterize frequency and volume of blood draws and transfusions in extremely low birth weight infants in the first 10 weeks of life. STUDY DESIGN: We included infants with a birth weight <1000 g born 23 0/7-29 6/7 weeks gestational age (GA) and with a length of stay ≥10 weeks, admitted between 2014 and 2016 to a single neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS: Of 54 infants, median (25th, 75th percentile) GA and birth weight were 25 weeks (24, 26) and 665 g (587, 822), respectively. Median number of blood draws per infant decreased from 57 (49, 65) in week 1 to 12 (8, 22) in week 10. Median volume of blood extracted was 83 mL (70, 97), and median number of blood transfusions was 8 (5, 10). CONCLUSIONS: This cohort experienced a high number and volume of blood draws. Draw frequency and transfusions decreased over the first 10 weeks of life.

Negative Temperature Differential in Preterm Infants Less Than 29 Weeks Gestational Age: Associations With Infection and Maternal Smoking.

BACKGROUND: Hypothermia is related to increased morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants; continuous temperature monitoring is necessary. Thermoregulation is limited in preterm infants. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the research was to assess and describe negative temperature differential (NTD) and assess the associations of NTD with infant demographic characteristics, medical history, and clinical events. METHODS: An exploratory, case study design was used. Abdominal and foot temperature was measured every minute over the first 2 weeks of life in 22 preterm infants at less than 29 weeks gestational age. RESULTS: All infants experienced NTD. Daily NTD in all infants across all study days ranged from 0 to 70.7%; 2-week mean NTD over all infants ranged from 7.3% to 38.5%. Four infants treated for late onset of infection had a higher NTD than 18 infants without infection (M = 27.8%, SD = 9.52 vs. M = 16.4%, SD = 5.34, p < .05). Although not statistically significant, higher mean percentage of NTD was noted in infants having early onset infection (24.1% vs. 16.4%), African American race (20.0% vs. 15.3%), and/or being born to a mother who smoked during pregnancy (26.6% vs. 16.7%). DISCUSSION: A larger study is needed to examine associations between NTD and race, maternal smoking history, and infection. NTD might be used as a biomarker to guide acute clinical care and identify infants at risk for acute and chronic morbidity.

Preparation of Porous Stainless Steel Hollow-Fibers through Multi-Modal Particle Size Sintering towards Pore Engineering.

The sintering of metal powders is an efficient and versatile technique to fabricate porous metal elements such as filters, diffusers, and membranes. Neck formation between particles is, however, critical to tune the porosity and optimize mass transfer in order to minimize the densification process. In this work, macro-porous stainless steel (SS) hollow-fibers (HFs) were fabricated by the extrusion and sintering of a dope comprised, for the first time, of a bimodal mixture of SS powders. The SS particles of different sizes and shapes were mixed to increase the neck formation between the particles and control the densification process of the structure during sintering. The sintered HFs from particles of two different sizes were shown to be more mechanically stable at lower sintering temperature due to the increased neck area of the small particles sintered to the large ones. In addition, the sintered HFs made from particles of 10 and 44 µm showed a smaller average pore size (<1 µm) as compared to the micron-size pores of sintered HFs made from particles of 10 µm only and those of 10 and 20 µm. The novel HFs could be used in a range of applications, from filtration modules to electrochemical membrane reactors.

Recent Advances in Pd-Based Membranes for Membrane Reactors.

Palladium-based membranes for hydrogen separation have been studied by several research groups during the last 40 years. Much effort has been dedicated to improving the hydrogen flux of these membranes employing different alloys, supports, deposition/production techniques, etc. High flux and cheap membranes, yet stable at different operating conditions are required for their exploitation at industrial scale. The integration of membranes in multifunctional reactors (membrane reactors) poses additional demands on the membranes as interactions at different levels between the catalyst and the membrane surface can occur. Particularly, when employing the membranes in fluidized bed reactors, the selective layer should be resistant to or protected against erosion. In this review we will also describe a novel kind of membranes, the pore-filled type membranes prepared by Pacheco Tanaka and coworkers that represent a possible solution to integrate thin selective membranes into membrane reactors while protecting the selective layer. This work is focused on recent advances on metallic supports, materials used as an intermetallic diffusion layer when metallic supports are used and the most recent advances on Pd-based composite membranes. Particular attention is paid to improvements on sulfur resistance of Pd based membranes, resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and stability at high temperature.

A discrete event simulation tool to support and predict hospital and clinic staffing.

We demonstrate how to develop a simulation tool to help healthcare managers and administrators predict and plan for staffing needs in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit using administrative data. We developed a discrete event simulation model of nursing staff needed in a neonatal intensive care unit and then validated the model against historical data. The process flow was translated into a discrete event simulation model. Results demonstrated that the model can be used to give a respectable estimate of annual admissions, transfers, and deaths based upon two different staffing levels. The discrete event simulation tool model can provide healthcare managers and administrators with (1) a valid method of modeling patient mix, patient acuity, staffing needs, and costs in the present state and (2) a forecast of how changes in a unit's staffing, referral patterns, or patient mix would affect a unit in a future state.

Perfusion Index in Very Low Birth Weight Premature Infants During Their First 2 Weeks of Life.

BACKGROUND: Our program of research focuses on thermal and circulatory stability in extremely premature infants. In prior studies, we found that infants have long periods of time in which foot temperature (FT) is higher than central temperature. We thus wanted to determine whether blood flow in the foot is increased when FT is elevated. Perfusion index (PI) can be used as a clinical indicator of peripheral perfusion, but reports on use of PI in premature infants are lacking. We employed exploratory methodology to examine foot perfusion and temperature in very low birth weight infants. AIMS: For premature infants after birth: (1) describe foot PI values for the first 2 weeks of life and (2) describe the relationship of longitudinal FT and PI. STUDY DESIGN: Case study design with longitudinal FT and PI in 17 infants born at <29 weeks' gestation with birth weight < 1,200 g for 2 weeks after birth. RESULTS: Infants averaged 851 g at birth and were 24-29 weeks' gestational age. The mean PI across all infants for 14 days was 1.04, SD = 0.79. Using a repeated measures multilevel model approach confirmed that FT and PI were positively related in these infants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that perfusion is increased in the periphery in extremely premature infants when FT is increased. PI measures can be used as a trend for peripheral perfusion, and these values increase over the first 2 weeks of life in infants weighing more than 750 g.

Evaluation of the Financial and Health Burden of Infants at Risk for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading viral cause of death in infants younger than 1 year. In July 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases concluded that the "limited clinical benefit" for infants born at more than 29 weeks' gestation, together with the associated high cost of the immunoprophylaxis, no longer supported the routine use of palivizumab (Synagis). PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of the newly adopted AAP palivizumab prophylaxis administration on health and subsequent hospital costs of infants born between 29 and less than 32 weeks' gestation. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis from a single institution across the duration of the study comparing the clinical and financial outcomes of infants (aged < 32 weeks) treated under the 2009 AAP guidelines (PRE) and infants (aged >29 weeks) managed after the 2014 AAP guidelines (POST) took effect. RESULTS: RSV-positive admissions were greater in the POST cohort versus the PRE cohort (P = .04). There were no readmission deaths due to RSV infection in either cohort. The number needed to treat to avoid a single RSV-positive hospitalization was 20 infants at an estimated palivizumab cost of $90,000 to avoid an estimated hospital cost of $29,000. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Assessment of individual risk factors and their ability to predict severe RSV risk/disease, thus, would allow providers greater flexibility in determining need for prophylaxis therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Longitudinal evaluation of financial and clinical outcomes is needed to determine the impact of the 2014 AAP revised regulatory guidelines.