Hemodynamic evaluation of extremely low birth weight infants during the first 7 days of life.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aimed to investigate the hemodynamic status of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants during the transitional period under intensive management. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic wall stress (ESWS), left ventricular internal dimension in diastole (LVIDd), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) of ELBW infants during their first week of life. Small for gestational age (SGA), histological chorioamnionitis (hCAM), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and non-survival to discharge infants were compared to their counterparts. RESULTS: Sixty-two infants (25.7 ± 2.1 weeks, 700.7 ± 165.4 g) were analyzed. MAP gradually increased. Median LVEF was 69.8 % on day 1, decreased to 62.7 % on day 2, then increased throughout the week. ESWS was lowest at birth, rose to 28.2 g/cm2 on day 2, and decreased on day 6. There were no significant changes in LVIDd. SGA infants had higher MAP throughout, higher LVEF on day 2 and 3, but lower LVEF on day 5 to 7. LVIDd was lower in hCAM group. Severe IVH group had a more significant drop in LVEF on day 2, higher ESWS, and a higher incidence of hemodynamic significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA). Non-survival had lower LVIDd. CONCLUSIONS: MAP increased gradually. Hemodynamic instability was observed in the first two days, with decreased LVEF and increased ESWS before stabilization. We observed an alteration in hemodynamic adaptation in SGA and hCAM infants. Severe IVH group experienced early hemodynamic instability and a higher incidence of hsPDA.

Evaluation of Postnatal Complications in Clinical and Histological Chorioamnionitis in Extremely Preterm Infants: A Japanese Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Terminating pregnancy appropriately before the intrauterine infection has progressed may have an improved prognosis for preterm infants. We evaluate how the combination of histological chorioamnionitis (hCAM) and clinical chorioamnionitis (cCAM) affects the short-term prognosis of infants. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective multicenter cohort study based on the Neonatal Research Network of Japan included extremely preterm infants born weighing <1,500 g between 2008 and 2018. Demographic characteristics, morbidity, and mortality were compared between the cCAM(-)hCAM(+) and cCAM(+)hCAM(+) groups. RESULTS: We included 16,304 infants. The progression to cCAM in infants with hCAM was correlated with the increase in home oxygen therapy (HOT) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.44) and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) (1.20, 1.04-1.38). Furthermore, increased progression of the hCAM stage in infants with cCAM correlated with an increase in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD; 1.05, 1.01-1.11), HOT (1.10, 1.02-1.18), and PPHN (1.09, 1.01-1.18). However, it had a negative impact on hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA; 0.87, 0.83-0.92) and death before discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU; 0.88, 0.81-0.96). CONCLUSION: Progression to cCAM in infants with hCAM positively correlated with HOT and PPHN. Progression of hCAM staging in infants with cCAM further increases the prevalence of BPD and the need for HOT and PPHN while reducing the prevalence of hsPDA and death before discharge from the NICU. The effects of the progressive hCAM stage in infants with cCAM vary from positive to negative by disease. KEY POINTS: · Retrospective multicenter cohort study based on the Neonatal Research Network of Japan.. · Clinical and histological chorioamnionitis increases the prevalence of BPD, HOT, and PPHN.. · Progression of histological chorioamnionitis in infants reduces the prevalence of hsPDA and death..

Evaluation of newborns with Down syndrome with weight less than 1500 g in the neonatal intensive care unit: A Japanese multicentre study.

AIM: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics and their mortality-related factors in very low birthweight infants with Down syndrome (DS) in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective case-control study enrolled newborns with DS weighing <1500 g admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the perinatal centre registered with the Neonatal Research Network of Japan (NRNJ) database from 2008 to 2019. The clinical characteristics and their mortality-related factors were compared among the Dead group (newborns with DS who died in the NICU), the Survival group (newborns with DS who were alive from the NICU) and the Control group (newborns without congenital or chromosomal condition). RESULTS: A total of 53 656 newborns weighing <1500 g were registered in the NRNJ database for 12 years. Of these, 310 (0.6%) were diagnosed with DS: 62 newborns in the Dead group, 248 in the Survival group and 49 786 in the Control group without chromosomal condition. Logistic analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in the mortality-related factors in congenital anomalies, pulmonary haemorrhage and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn; the adjusted odds ratios were 8.6, 121 and 9.5, respectively. Newborns with DS weighing <1000 g showed the earliest death in the NICU on the Kaplan-Meier survival curve (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The mortality rate for newborns with DS weighing <1500 g was 20% (5% in the Control group). The mortality-related factors were complications of congenital anomalies, pulmonary haemorrhage and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

5-Aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy to superficial malignant skin tumors using Super Lizer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using topically applied 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has become a generally accepted treatment modality for superficial malignant skin tumors. However, the costly excimer-dye laser, diode laser and light-emitting diode (LED) frequently used to administrate PDT are impractical to use in most dermatology clinics. This study evaluated the effectiveness of ALA-mediated PDT using a Super Lizer (Tokyo Iken, Tokyo, Japan) equipped with band-pass filters in 38 patients with superficial malignant skin tumors (33 cases of actinic keratosis and five cases of Bowen's disease). Twenty-one cases (18 cases of actinic keratosis and three cases of Bowen's disease) were successfully treated, and the other 17 cases (15 cases of actinic keratosis and two cases of Bowen's disease) showed partial remission after single or repeated administration of PDT. PDT repeated three times at weekly intervals was more effective against actinic keratosis than randomly repeated procedures. The Super Lizer is easy to handle and move, and is less expensive than other known machinery and is useful for PDT in dermatology, especially under the protocol of three times at weekly intervals for the treatment of actinic keratosis.