Quality, outcome, and cost of care provided to very low birth weight infants in California.

OBJECTIVE: To examine association of costs with quality of care and patient outcome across hospitals in California. METHODS: Retrospective study of very low birth weight (VLBW) births from 2014-2018 linking birth certificate, hospital discharge records and clinical data. Quality was measured using the Baby-MONITOR score. Clinical outcome was measured using survival without major morbidity (SWMM). Hierarchical generalized linear models, adjusting for clinical factors, were used to estimate risk-adjusted measures of costs, quality, and outcome for each hospital. Association between these measures was evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: In total, 15,415 infants from 104 NICUs were included. Risk-adjusted Baby-MONITOR score, SWMM rate, and costs varied substantially. There was no correlation between risk-adjusted cost and Baby-MONITOR score (r = 0, p = 0.998). Correlation between risk-adjusted cost and SWMM rate was inverse and not significant (r = -0.07, p = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: With the metrics used, we found no correlation between cost, quality, and outcomes in the care of VLBW infants.

California and Oregon NICU Wildfire Disaster Preparedness Tools.

The 2020 wildfire season was devastating to the Western United States and affected the region's NICUs. In this study, we ask the question, "what tools/strategies do medical professionals deem as important and most helpful as they are preparing for wildfire disaster response?" It is a follow up to our previous study: Learning from Wildfire Disaster Experience in California NICUs. We reevaluated how California NICUs dealt with the 2020 wildfires and expanded to Oregon and Southwest (SW) Washington NICUs. We conducted a survey with eleven Oregon and SW Washington NICUs about their wildfire evacuation preparedness. We also interviewed two neonatologists about their wildfire disaster experience evacuating their NICU or preparing to evacuate. Our findings suggest there is more work needed to fully prepare NICUs for wildfire disasters. We hope that by bringing light to the strategies used by affected clinicians, we can educate and support future NICU disaster preparedness responses.

Telemedicine in neonatal medicine and resuscitation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Telehealth in neonatology is a rapidly expanding modality for providing care to neonatal patient populations. In this review, we describe the most recent published innovations in neonatal telehealth, spanning the neonatal ICU (NICU), community/rural hospitals and the patient's home. RECENT FINDINGS: Telemedicine for neonatal subspecialty care has continued to expand, from well established uses in retinopathy of prematurity screening and tele-echocardiography, to applications in genetics and neurology. Within the NICU itself, neonatologist-led remote rounding has been shown to be a feasible method of increasing access to expert care for neonates in rural hospitals. Telehealth has improved parental and caregiver education, eased the NICU-to-home transition experience and expanded access to lactation services for rural mothers. Telemedicine-assisted neonatal resuscitation has improved the quality of resuscitation and reduced unnecessary neonatal transports to higher levels of care. Finally, the global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the expansion of neonatal telehealth. SUMMARY: Telehealth provides increased access to expert neonatal care and improves patient outcomes, while reducing the cost of care for neonates in diverse settings. Continued high-quality investigation of the impacts of telehealth on patient outcomes and healthcare systems is critical to the continued development of neonatal telemedicine best practices.

Examining the Relationship between Cost and Quality of Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Beyond.

There is tremendous variation in costs of delivering health care, whether by country, hospital, or patient. However, the questions remain: what costs are reasonable? How does spending affect patient outcomes? We look to explore the relationship between cost and quality of care in adult, pediatric and neonatal literature. Health care stewardship initiatives attempt to address the issue of lowering costs while maintaining the same quality of care; but how do we define and deliver high value care to our patients? Ultimately, these questions remain challenging to tackle due to the heterogeneous definitions of cost and quality. Further standardization of these terms, as well as studying the variations of both costs and quality, may benefit future research on value in health care.

Resuscitation outcomes for weekend deliveries of very low birthweight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise the association between weekend (Saturday and Sunday) deliveries of very low birthweight (VLBW) infants and delivery room outcomes in the 'golden hour' after birth. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective cohort study using California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative data from participating neonatal intensive care units. PATIENTS: The study population after exclusions was 26 515 VLBW infants born in California from 2010 to 2016. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Delivery room outcomes assessed included: chest compressions, epinephrine, intubation prior to continuous positive airway pressure ventilation, 5 min Apgar <4, admission hypothermia and death within 12 hours. To adjust for potential confounders, we fit multivariate regression models controlling for two sets of infant, maternal and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Infants delivered on weekends were less likely to have been prenatally diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction but were otherwise not significantly different in gestational age, ethnicity, sex or maternal risk factors than those born during weekdays. Caesarean deliveries were less common on weekends, while vaginal deliveries were consistent across all days. After adjusting for sex and race, weekend delivery was associated with delivery room chest compressions (OR: 1.12, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.24) and lower 5 min Apgar (OR: 1.11, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.21). CONCLUSION: In this population-based study of VLBW infants, there was an increase in chest compressions for infants born on the weekend. More research is needed on the differences between populations born on weekdays versus weekends, and how these may contribute to observed associations.

Hospitalization costs associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the first year of life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine costs of hospitalization associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) during the first year in very low birth weight infants. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of California births from 2008 to 2011 linking birth certificate, discharge records, and clinical data from California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative. Inclusion: birth weight 401-1500 g, gestational age < 30 weeks, inborn or transferred within 2 days, alive at 36 weeks corrected, and without major congenital anomalies. Outcomes included cost and length of stay of initial hospitalization and rehospitalizations. RESULT: Out of 7998 eligible infants, 2696 (33.7%) developed BPD. Median hospitalization cost in the first year was $377,871 per infant with BPD compared with $175,836 per infant without BPD (adjusted cost ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49-1.59). Infants with BPD also had longer length of stay and a higher likelihood of rehospitalization. CONCLUSION: BPD is associated with substantial resource utilization. Prevention strategies could help conserve healthcare resources.

Historical Perspectives: Telemedicine in Neonatology.

Telemedicine is fast becoming integrated into health care as a way to increase access for patients, particularly across the urban/rural divide. Use of telemedicine in neonatology is a newer, yet rapidly expanding modality. This review outlines the history of telemedicine, the evolution of its current uses in neonatology, requirements for starting a telemedicine program, and potential future uses.

Safety and Ergonomic Challenges of Ventilating a Premature Infant During Delayed Cord Clamping.

Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is endorsed by multiple professional organizations for both term and preterm infants. In preterm infants, DCC has been shown to reduce intraventricular hemorrhage, lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, and reduce the need for transfusions. Furthermore, in preterm animal models, ventilation during DCC leads to improved hemodynamics. While providing ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during DCC may benefit infants, the logistics of performing such a maneuver can be complicated. In this simulation-based study, we sought to explore attitudes of providers along with the safety and ergonomic challenges involved with safely resuscitating a newborn infant while attached to the placenta. Multidisciplinary workshops were held simulating vaginal and Caesarean deliveries, during which providers started positive pressure ventilation and transitioned to holding CPAP on a preterm manikin. Review of videos identified 5 themes of concerns: sterility, equipment, mobility, space and workflow, and communication. In this study, simulation was a key methodology for safe identification of various safety and ergonomic issues related to implementation of ventilation during DCC. Centers interested in implementing DCC with ventilation are encouraged to form multidisciplinary work groups and utilize simulations prior to performing care on infants.

Health Care and Societal Costs of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Despite significant technological advances and increasing survival of premature infants, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) continues to be the most prevalent major morbidity in surviving very low-birthweight infants. Infants with BPD are often sicker, require longer stays in the NICU, and accumulate greater hospital costs. However, care of the infant with BPD extends beyond the time spent in the NICU. This article reviews the costs of BPD in the health-care setting, during the initial hospitalization and beyond, and the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of BPD, as well as the impact on a family caring for a child with BPD.

Tackling Quality Improvement in the Delivery Room.

Implementation of standardized practices in the delivery room fosters a safe environment to ensure that newborn infants are cared for optimally, whether or not they require extensive resuscitation. Quality improvement (QI) is an excellent methodology for implementation of standardized practices due to the multidisciplinary nature of the delivery room, complexity of tasks involved, and opportunities to track processes and outcomes. This article discusses how the delivery room is a unique environment and presents examples on how to approach delivery room QI. Key areas of potential focus for teams pursuing delivery QI include thermal regulation, optimizing respiratory support, and facilitating team communication.

The Relationship of Nosocomial Infection Reduction to Changes in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Rates of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether recent reductions in rates of nosocomial infection have contributed to changes in rates of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in a population-based cohort. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective, population-based cohort study that used the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative database from 2006 to 2013. Eligible infants included those less than 30 weeks' gestational age and less than 1500 g who survived to 3 days of life. Primary variables of interest were rates of nosocomial infections and BPD. Adjusted rates of nosocomial infections and BPD from a baseline period (2006-2010) were compared with a later period (2011-2013). The correlation of changes in rates across periods for both variables was assessed by hospital of care. RESULTS: A total of 22 967 infants from 129 hospitals were included in the study. From the first to second time period, the incidence of nosocomial infections declined from 24.7% to 15% and BPD declined from 35% to 30%. Adjusted hospital rates of BPD and nosocomial infections were correlated positively with a calculated 8% reduction of BPD rates attributable to reductions in nosocomial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Successful interventions to reduce rates of nosocomial infections may have a positive impact on other comorbidities such as BPD. The prevention of nosocomial infections should be viewed as a significant component in avoiding long-term neonatal morbidities.

Hospital variation and risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in a population-based cohort.

IMPORTANCE: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains a serious morbidity in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (<1500 g). Deregionalization of neonatal care has resulted in an increasing number of VLBW infants treated in community hospitals with unknown impact on the development of BPD. OBJECTIVE: To identify individual risk factors for BPD development and hospital variation of BPD rates across all levels of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) within the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study (January 2007 to December 2011) from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative including more than 90% of California's NICUs. Eligible VLBW infants born between 22 to 29 weeks' gestational age. EXPOSURES: Varying levels of intensive care. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was defined as continuous supplemental oxygen use at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. A combined outcome of BPD or mortality prior to 36 weeks was used. Multivariable logistic regression accounting for hospital as a random effect and gestational age as a risk factor was used to assess individual risk factors for BPD. This model was applied to determine risk-adjusted rates of BPD across hospitals and assess associations between levels of care and BPD rates. RESULTS: The study cohort included 15,779 infants, of which 1534 infants died prior to 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. A total of 7081 infants, or 44.8%, met the primary outcome of BPD or death prior to 36 weeks. Combined BPD or death rates across 116 NICUs varied from 17.7% to 73.4% (interquartile range, 38.7%-54.1%). Compared with level IV NICUs, the risk for developing BPD was higher for level II NICUs (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02-1.49) and similar for level III NICUs (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.95-1.14). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death prior to 36 weeks' postmenstrual age affects approximately 45% of VLBW infants across California. The wide variability in BPD occurrence across hospitals could offer insights into potential risk or preventive factors. Additionally, our findings suggest that increased regionalization of NICU care may reduce BPD among VLBW infants.

Alterations in cortisol secretory dynamics in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa and effects on bone metabolism.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with low bone density in adolescents and adults. Hypercortisolemia has been reported in adults with this disorder and has been hypothesized to be a factor in bone loss. However, the secretory dynamics of cortisol in adolescents with AN and the contribution of alterations in cortisol secretion to bone metabolism in AN have not been examined. We examined the dynamics of cortisol secretion by Cluster and deconvolutional analysis in 23 girls with AN and 21 healthy adolescents of comparable age and maturity. Cortisol sampling was performed every 30 min for 12 h overnight. Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) and creatinine (cr) were obtained for all subjects. The surface area (SA) of the subjects was calculated. Markers of bone turnover (type 1 procollagen, osteocalcin, and N-telopeptide) were examined. Subjects with AN were prospectively followed over 1 yr, and those who recovered weight (defined as a 10% increase in body mass index) were again studied. On Cluster analysis, girls with AN had significantly higher mean cortisol (8.6 +/- 2.0 vs. 5.9 +/- 1.1 microg/dl; P < 0.0001), nadir cortisol (5.5 +/- 2.3 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.2 microg/dl; P = 0.0008), valley mean cortisol (7.0 +/- 2.7 vs. 4.7 +/- 1.5 microg/dl; P = 0.001), peak amplitude (12.6 +/- 4.4 vs. 7.8 +/- 3.0 microg/dl; P = 0.0004), peak area (652 +/- 501 vs. 340 +/- 238 microg/dl; P = 0.02), and total area under the curve (6112 +/- 1467 vs. 4117 +/- 802 microg/dl; P < 0.0001) than healthy adolescents. On deconvolutional analysis, the frequency of nocturnal secretory bursts (7.0 +/- 1.2 vs. 5.8 +/- 1.3 /12 h; P = 0.001), total nocturnal pulsatile cortisol secretion (69.3 +/- 14.7 vs. 53.9 +/- 11.1 microg/dl; P = 0.0003), and total cortisol secretion (89.6 +/- 18.8 vs. 71.2 +/- 17.6 microg/dl; P = 0.002) were significantly higher in girls with AN than in healthy controls. Cortisol half-life trended higher in girls with AN. However, basal cortisol secretion and approximate entropy did not differ between the groups. UFC/cr and UFC/cr.SA were significantly higher in girls with AN than in controls [0.050 +/- 0.028 vs. 0.036 +/- 0.017 (P = 0.04) and 0.035 +/- 0.020 vs. 0.023 +/- 0.012 (P = 0.03)]. Six of 23 girls with AN had UFC/cr.SA values that were more than 2 sd above those in healthy controls. An inverse correlation was noted between measures of cortisol concentration as well as pulsatile secretion and measures of nutritional status (body mass index, fat mass, leptin, insulin, and IGF-I). An oral glucose load suppressed cortisol levels in healthy adolescents, but not in AN patients. Weight recovery was associated with a significant decrease in the number of secretory bursts. In girls with AN, strong inverse correlations were noted between levels of cortisol (mean, nadir, and total area under the curve) and levels of markers of bone formation (C-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen and osteocalcin). Conversely, in healthy controls, cortisol values did not predict levels of markers of bone turnover. Adolescent girls with AN have significantly higher serum cortisol concentrations and UFC/cr.SA values than healthy adolescents. This increased cortisol concentration is a function of increased frequency of secretory bursts, resulting in increased pulsatile secretion. Hypercortisolemia appears to be a direct consequence of undernutrition and is associated with a decrease in markers of bone formation. Therefore, high cortisol values in AN may contribute to the low bone density observed in adolescents with this disorder by decreasing bone formation.