EPISIOTOMY INFECTIONS IN THE PUERPERIUM AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF RESPONSIBLE PATHOGENS IN UKRAINE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To obtain the first estimates of the current prevalence rate of episiotomy infections in the puerperium and antimicrobial resistance of responsible pathogens in Ukraine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter cohort study was based on surveillance data. The study population consisted of all women who had a vaginal delivery in 7 Regional Women's Hospitals of Ukraine. Definitions of episiotomy infections were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC/NHSN). RESULTS: Results: Total 35.6% women after vaginal delivery had episiotomy done. The prevalence rate of episiotomy infections was 17.7%. The predominant pathogens were: Escherichia coli (49.2%), Enterobacter spp. (11.1%), Streptococcus spp. (9.1%), Enterococcus faecalis (6.5%), Klebsiella spp. (8.1%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.2%), Proteus spp.(2.9%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (2.8%). The overall proportion of methicillin-resistance was observed in 17.3% of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Vancomycin resistance was observed in 6.8% of isolated enterococci. Carbapenem resistance was identified in 8% of P.aeruginosa isolates. Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was observed in 15.2% Klebsiella spp. and E.coli 16.4% isolates. The overall proportion of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) production among Enterobacteriaceae was 26.4%. The prevalence of ESBL production among E. coli isolates was significantly higher than in K. pneumoniae (31.4%, vs 12.5%). CONCLUSION: Conclusions:Episiotomy infections in the puerperium are common in Ukraine and most of these infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Optimizing the management and empirical antimicrobial therapy may reduce the burden of episiotomy infections, but prevention is the key element.

A randomised controlled trial of protocolised music therapy demonstrates developmental milestone acquisition in hospitalised infants.

AIM: To compare the effectiveness of an intensive-intermittent vs. standard spaced protocolised music therapy intervention on supporting developmental milestone acquisition of infants >44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) hospitalised in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). METHOD: This was a comparative effectiveness study of infants 44-66 weeks PMA with a projected NICU stay of at least one month from recruitment. Infants were randomised to one of two treatment groups: traditional therapy (2x/week) and intermittent-intensive (4x/week, off, 4x/week, off). Both groups received the same number of sessions over a 4-week period. Sessions at the start and end of the treatment period were video recorded. Two masked researchers reviewed and coded videos. Milestones used for video recording were adapted from the Developmental Assessment of Young Children. RESULTS: Twenty-four infants participated, with groups matched for birth age, PMA at start of study, race, IVH severity, and respiratory support. Total and motor composite scores were higher post-intervention (Cohen's d = 0.71 and 0.97, both p < 0.01), with the same degree of skill acquisition found for both intervention groups. CONCLUSION: A developmental music therapy protocol supports developmental skills acquisition of post-term infants in a NICU. Similar outcomes for both groups provide therapists with varying treatment dosing options to best support their patients.

Vision Assessments and Interventions for Infants 0-2 Years at High Risk for Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.

We performed a systematic review and evaluated the level of evidence of vision interventions and assessments for infants at high risk for or with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy from zero to two years of age. Articles were evaluated based on the level of methodologic quality, evidence, and clinical utilization. Thirty publications with vision assessments and five with vision interventions met criteria for inclusion. Assessments included standard care neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and neuro-ophthalmologic examination techniques that are utilized clinically with any preverbal or nonverbal pediatric patient. The overall level of evidence of interventions was strong for neuroprotective interventions such as caffeine and hypothermia but weak for surgery, visual training, or developmental programs. There are few evidence-based interventions and assessments that address cerebral/cortical visual impairment-related needs of infants and toddlers at high risk for or with cerebral palsy. Recommendation guidelines include the use of three types of standard care methodologies and two types of protective interventions.

Cry presence and amplitude do not reflect cortical processing of painful stimuli in newborns with distinct responses to touch or cold.

OBJECTIVE: Newborns requiring hospitalisation frequently undergo painful procedures. Prevention of pain in infants is of prime concern because of adverse associations with physiological and neurological development. However, pain mitigation is currently guided by behavioural observation assessments that have not been validated against direct evidence of pain processing in the brain. The aim of this study was to determine whether cry presence or amplitude is a valid indicator of pain processing in newborns. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort. SETTING: Newborn nursery. PATIENTS: Healthy infants born at >37 weeks and <42 weeks gestation. INTERVENTIONS: We prospectively studied newborn cortical responses to light touch, cold and heel stick, and the amplitude of associated infant vocalisations using our previously published paradigms of time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) with simultaneous audio recordings. RESULTS: Latencies of cortical peak responses to each of the three stimuli type were significantly different from each other. Of 54 infants, 13 (24%), 19 (35%) and 35 (65%) had cries in response to light touch, cold and heel stick, respectively. Cry in response to non-painful stimuli did not predict cry in response to heel stick. All infants with EEG data had measurable pain responses to heel stick, whether they cried or not. There was no association between presence or amplitude of cries and cortical nociceptive amplitudes. CONCLUSIONS: In newborns with distinct brain responses to light touch, cold and pain, cry presence or amplitude characteristics do not provide adequate behavioural markers of pain signalling in the brain. New bedside assessments of newborn pain may need to be developed using brain-based methodologies as benchmarks in order to provide optimal pain mitigation.

The Dual Nature of Early-Life Experience on Somatosensory Processing in the Human Infant Brain.

Every year, 15 million preterm infants are born, and most spend their first weeks in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) [1]. Although essential for the support and survival of these infants, NICU sensory environments are dramatically different from those in which full-term infants mature and thus likely impact the development of functional brain organization [2]. Yet the integrity of sensory systems determines effective perception and behavior [3, 4]. In neonates, touch is a cornerstone of interpersonal interactions and sensory-cognitive development [5-7]. NICU treatments used to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes rely heavily on touch [8]. However, we understand little of how brain maturation at birth (i.e., prematurity) and quality of early-life experiences (e.g., supportive versus painful touch) interact to shape the development of the somatosensory system [9]. Here, we identified the spatial, temporal, and amplitude characteristics of cortical responses to light touch that differentiate them from sham stimuli in full-term infants. We then utilized this data-driven analytical framework to show that the degree of prematurity at birth determines the extent to which brain responses to light touch (but not sham) are attenuated at the time of discharge from the hospital. Building on these results, we showed that, when controlling for prematurity and analgesics, supportive experiences (e.g., breastfeeding, skin-to-skin care) are associated with stronger brain responses, whereas painful experiences (e.g., skin punctures, tube insertions) are associated with reduced brain responses to the same touch stimuli. Our results shed crucial insights into the mechanisms through which common early perinatal experiences may shape the somatosensory scaffolding of later perceptual, cognitive, and social development.

A pacifier-activated music player with mother's voice improves oral feeding in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a randomized trial to test the hypothesis that mother's voice played through a pacifier-activated music player (PAM) during nonnutritive sucking would improve the development of sucking ability and promote more effective oral feeding in preterm infants. METHODS: Preterm infants between 34 0/7 and 35 6/7 weeks' postmenstrual age, including those with brain injury, who were taking at least half their feedings enterally and less than half orally, were randomly assigned to receive 5 daily 15-minute sessions of either PAM with mother's recorded voice or no PAM, along with routine nonnutritive sucking and maternal care in both groups. Assignment was masked to the clinical team. RESULTS: Ninety-four infants (46 and 48 in the PAM intervention and control groups, respectively) completed the study. The intervention group had significantly increased oral feeding rate (2.0 vs. 0.9 mL/min, P < .001), oral volume intake (91.1 vs. 48.1 mL/kg/d, P = .001), oral feeds/day (6.5 vs. 4.0, P < .001), and faster time-to-full oral feedings (31 vs. 38 d, P = .04) compared with controls. Weight gain and cortisol levels during the 5-day protocol were not different between groups. Average hospital stays were 20% shorter in the PAM group, but the difference was not significant (P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: A PAM using mother's voice improves oral feeding skills in preterm infants without adverse effects on hormonal stress or growth.