Administering atropine and ketamine before less invasive surfactant administration resulted in low pain scores in a prospective study of premature neonates.

AIM: Less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) can avoid tracheal intubation for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, but can be painful because it requires laryngoscopy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerance of intravenous atropine plus ketamine administration before LISA. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of all premature infants hospitalised in our French neonatal intensive care unit treated with LISA between March 2015 and March 2016. Ketamine was titrated by 0.5 mg/kg increments. The technical conditions, pain scores, emergent intubations and vital signs were collected and analysed. RESULTS: Values are reported as medians (interquartile ranges). We included 29 patients with a gestational age of 29.6 (28.6-30.9) weeks and birth weight of 1290 (945-1600) grams. Technical conditions were satisfying for 24 infants (83%). The Faceless Acute Neonatal Pain Scale score was 2 (2-4); seven infants (24%) required tracheal intubation before LISA could be performed; 17 (59%) had a pulse oxymetry value under 80% that lasted more than 60 seconds. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure transiently increased. CONCLUSION: Atropine plus ketamine before LISA resulted in low pain scores and stable haemodynamic parameters, but prolonged desaturations or apnoea leading to tracheal intubation were frequently observed.

[A survey on premedication prior to intubation in very preterm infants (28-32WG) with respiratory distress syndrome in French neonatal intensive care units]. / Enquête nationale sur la sédation-analgésie pour intubation des grands prématurés atteints de détresse respiratoire en dehors de l'arrêt cardiorespiratoire et de la salle de naissance.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Tracheal intubation is a painful procedure for which the routine use of analgesia is recommended. However, the use of premedication for intubation is not yet generalized and there is great diversity in the drugs used. The main objective of this study was to describe the frequency of premedication use in preterm neonates aged between 28 and 32weeks of gestation, intubated for respiratory distress syndrome. Secondary objectives were to describe the existence of a written protocol, its influence on the frequency of premedication and the drugs used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Declarative survey on Google.docs forms addressed to physicians and residents working in neonatal intensive care units in France. RESULTS: One hundred thirty respondents from 64 units completed this survey between 1 June and 31 July 2014. Fifty-seven percent of respondents declared always using a premedication, and 64 % of participants had a written protocol in their units. Persons working in a unit with a written protocol more frequently reported using premedication (P=0.04). The drugs used were various (mostly a hypnotic/morphine combination) and their dosages scattered. DISCUSSION: The results found by this survey confirm data from the literature and the situation seems to have stagnated over the last few years. A written protocol might encourage premedication use. CONCLUSION: Improvements in practices and increased knowledge are required to generalize the sedation/analgesia practices for tracheal intubation in neonatal intensive care units in France.

[Therapeutic strategies for Escherichia coli neonatal meningitis]. / Stratégies thérapeutiques des méningites néonatales à Escherichia coli.

Outcome of early and late onset E. coli neonatal meningitis is poor with 12% (term infant) to 18% (premature infant) mortality rates. Early complications are cerebral abscesses, ventriculitis and ischemo-haemorragic cerebral lesions. Long term sequelae, particularly neurosensorial [14-17%] and neurodevelopmental [10-17%] are frequent. Delayed or unadapted antibiotic treatment is associated with an excess of complications. Main risk factors are hemodynamic failure, apnea, seizures, hypoglycorachia and abnormal EEG. Antibiotics must be started as soon as possible with a third generation cephalosporin (3GC). Cefotaxime is the most largely 3GC used with good tolerance and the most appropriate Pk/PD parameters, frequently in association with ciprofloxacin. Experimentally, neuroprotective drugs were recently proposed to improve prognosis such as inflammatory inhibitors, leakage bacterial components inhibitors, PMN penetration inhibitors in CSF, apoptosis regulators. Clinically protective effect of corticosteroids is discussed. Ciprofloxacin has an intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity and seems interesting to use in addition to conventional antibiotherapy during the first days of treatment. Prevalence of 3GC-resistant E. coli is 5% in the vaginal flora of pregnant women in some hospitals in France; this rate leads to reconsider first line antibiotic treatment and to switch cephalosporin with meropenem in neonates with confirmed gram negative bacilli or 3GC-resistant E. coli meningitis.

[Video recording of newborn resuscitation in the delivery room: technique and advantages]. / Enregistrement vidéo de situations réelles de réanimation en salle de naissance: technique et avantages.

An extreme attentiveness is mandatory when caring about extremely-low-gestational-age neonates at birth because of their innate vulnerability. The interventions performed during resuscitation of these infants may have direct influence on the immediate survival and also on long-term morbidity. Although stressfull, each resuscitation step is crucial and needs to be precise, fast and harmless. In order to determine our compliance to the international guidelines and to assess our neonatal performances in delivery room, we used a Mobotix camera to record all resuscitations of extremely-low-gestational-age neonates during the decisive first minutes of life. Neonatal medical and nursing staff agreed to be recorded. Our local ethics committee approved that videotaping neonatal resuscitation is an audit of clinical practice and thus does not require informed consent. During debriefing sessions, we reviewed the videotaped recordings, which allowed us to identify frequent deviations from the international guidelines and to re-educate and improve performance. The most frequent errors we recognized were errors of hygiene, not re-evaluating oxygen titration and airway obstruction during mask ventilation. We observed team behaviour and coordination during resuscitation and focused on quality of care. We believe that this method may be very effective as a teaching tool.

[Pediatric use of carbapenems]. / Utilisation des carbapénèmes en pédiatrie.

Increasing frequency of infections due to multi-drug resistant organisms is currently observed in the adult and pediatric population. Therapeutic options are unfortunately limited to treat such infections. It is the clinician's responsibility to use wide-spectrum antibiotics when appropriate, but also to limit the use of these drugs to the sole situations where such a potent treatment is required. Carbapenems are the most efficient beta-lactams, especially against gram-negative bacilli, and the most preserved from resistance so far. This review summarizes microbiological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of currently available cabapenems. Their clinical use in different pediatric settings is then discussed, based on available published evidence. In order to maintain their microbiological efficiency and to limit the emergence of carbapem-resistant strains, carbapenems should be exclusively used for infections due to gram-negative bacilli showing resistance to other beta-lactams. In the next years meropenem should logically replace imipenem indications regarding its superior pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic properties, its higher tolerance and its easier use in the pediatric population.

[Short-term respiratory outcome of late preterm newborn in a center of level III]. / Devenir respiratoire à court terme d'une population d'enfants nés à 34, 35 et 36 SA dans une maternité de niveau III.

The rate of infants born at 34-36 weeks gestation has increased over the last 10 years. These babies are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality than full-term infants. At present, prenatal steroids are given until 34 weeks. The purpose of this study was to present the epidemiologic data of the late preterm infants and look for respiratory distress risk factors. This is a descriptive, single-center study including 59, 55 and 72 children born at 34, 35 and 36 weeks gestation, respectively, in a level III center in 2005 and 2006 for babies born at 34 weeks and in 2006 for the babies born at 35 and 36 weeks. Of the mothers who delivered at 34 and 35 weeks, 63% and 49%, respectively, had a morbidity. The cesarean-section delivery rate before labor was 36% for the infants born at 34 weeks and 25% for the infants born at 35 weeks. Prenatal steroids were used for 57% of the mothers who delivered at 34 weeks and for 27% of the mothers who delivered at 35 weeks. In the population of the babies born at 34 weeks, a mean delay between the last dose of steroid and delivery was 18.9 days. Of the infants born at 34, 35 and 36 weeks, 27%, 18% and 8% suffered from respiratory distress. The mechanical ventilation rate was 8.5% and 5.5% for the infants born at 34 and 35 weeks' gestation. Surfactant was given to all infants born at 34 weeks who were intubated. Twenty percent of the 34-week-gestation infants and 12.7% of the 35-week-gestation infants required mechanical ventilation or noninvasive continuous positive airway pressure. Respiratory distress was mainly caused by respiratory distress syndrome or transient tachypnea of the newborn. There were no cases of meconium aspiration syndrome. There was 1 case of infection and 2 cases of pneumothorax. One-third of the infants born at 34-35 weeks were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The number dropped to 11% at 36 weeks' gestation. The gestational age was the only significant risk factor for respiratory distress. There was a strong tendency of the respiratory distress rate to decrease in the babies whose mothers had received steroids (odds ratio = 0.39, p = 0.06).