Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip Is Not Associated with Breech Presentation in Preterm Infants.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to (1) determine the incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in preterm infants born prior to 35 completed weeks' gestation in a breech presentation, and (2) evaluate if the association between breech presentation and DDH in full-term infants holds for premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: This study design comprises retrospective review of infants born between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017, at <35 weeks' gestation and admitted to the NICU. Infants had hip ultrasounds at 4 to 6 weeks' corrected age if they were born in a breech presentation with a stable hip examination. We excluded infants born in a presentation other than breech or vertex, had no documentation of presentation at birth, or if they died within the first year. RESULTS: We included 1,533 infants. Preterm infants <35 weeks' gestation born in the breech versus vertex position had an incidence of DDH of 0.47% (2/428) and 0.36% (4/1,105), respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of DDH between infants born in the breech versus vertex position (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of breech presentation in detecting DDH were 33, 72, 0.47, and 99.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: There is no association between breech presentation and DDH in preterm infants <35 weeks' gestation. Obtaining hip ultrasounds on preterm infants <35 weeks' gestation born in the breech presentation with a normal hip examination is not recommended. KEY POINTS: · Breech position is a risk factor for DDH in term newborns.. · Preterm infants are often in the breech position until 37 weeks' gestation.. · This study shows that breech presentation is not a risk factor for DDH in preterm infants..

Proposed Screening for Congenital Hyperinsulinism in Newborns: Perspective from a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Group.

This perspective work by academic neonatal providers is written specifically for the audience of newborn care providers and neonatologists involved in neonatal hypoglycemia screening. Herein, we propose adding a screen for congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) by measuring glucose and ketone (i.e., ß-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB)) concentrations just prior to newborn hospital discharge and as close to 48 h after birth as possible, at the same time that the mandated state Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screen is obtained. In the proposed protocol, we do not recommend specific metabolite cutoffs, as our primary objective is to simply highlight the concept of screening for CHI in newborns to newborn caregivers. The premise for our proposed screen is based on the known effect of hyperinsulinism in suppressing ketogenesis, thereby limiting ketone production. We will briefly discuss genetic CHI, other forms of neonatal hypoglycemia, and their shared mechanisms; the mechanism of insulin regulation by functional pancreatic islet cell membrane KATP channels; adverse neurodevelopmental sequelae and brain injury due to missing or delaying the CHI diagnosis; the principles of a good screening test; how current neonatal hypoglycemia screening programs do not fulfill the criteria for being effective screening tests; and our proposed algorithm for screening for CHI in newborns.

Surfactant protein A stimulates release of neutrophil chemotactic factors by alveolar type II pneumocytes.

Mucosal immunity is an important mechanism in the response to injury. Our hypothesis is that surfactant protein A (SP-A) is an autocrine factor that stimulates alveolar type II epithelial cell release of neutrophil chemotactic factors by binding to the SP-A receptor expressed by these cells. We examined (1) the effect of SP-A (20 µg/ml) or IL-1ß (10 ng/ml) on release of neutrophil chemotactic factors by primary cultures of type II cells or alveolar macrophages, and (2) the effect of intratracheal instillation of the blocking antibody to the SP-A receptor on the response to oleic acid-induced lung injury in vivo. All media and cell culture supernates were assayed for neutrophil chemotactic activity, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the in vivo experiments was analyzed for inflammatory cell counts. While SP-A and media used for the cell cultures has no intrinsic neutrophil chemotactic activity, supernates from primary cultures of type II cells incubated in either SP-A or IL-1ß had twofold higher neutrophil chemotactic factor activity compared to supernates from controls. SP-A had no effect on release of neutrophil chemotactic factor by alveolar macrophages. Oleic acid-induced lung injury resulted in a marked influx of neutrophils into BAL, and this influx was reduced by 70% by pretreatment with the antibody to SP-A receptor. We conclude that SP-A stimulates the release of neutrophil chemotactic factor by alveolar type II cells, and this effect is mediated by the receptor for SP-A specifically expressed by these cells.

Management of newborns exposed to mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

There is limited information about newborns with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Particularly in the hospital after delivery, clinicians have refined practices in order to prevent secondary infection. While guidance from international associations is continuously being updated, all facets of care of neonates born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are center-specific, given local customs, building infrastructure constraints, and availability of protective equipment. Based on anecdotal reports from institutions in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic close to our hospital, together with our limited experience, in anticipation of increasing numbers of exposed newborns, we have developed a triage algorithm at the Penn State Hospital at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center that may be useful for other centers anticipating a similar surge. We discuss several care practices that have changed in the COVID-19 era including the use of antenatal steroids, delayed cord clamping (DCC), mother-newborn separation, and breastfeeding. Moreover, this paper provides comprehensive guidance on the most suitable respiratory support for newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also present detailed recommendations about the discharge process and beyond, including providing scales and home phototherapy to families, parental teaching via telehealth and in-person education at the doors of the hospital, and telehealth newborn follow-up.

Reducing unplanned extubations in the NICU.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Unplanned extubation can be a significant event that places the patient at risk for adverse events. Our goal was to reduce unplanned extubations to <1 unplanned extubation per 100 patient-intubated days. METHODS: All unplanned extubations in the NICU beginning in October 2009 were audited. Data collected included time of day, patient weight, and patient care activity at the time of the event. Bundles of potentially better practices were implemented in sequential Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Rates of unplanned extubation (number per patient-intubated day) for each month were analyzed by using control charts, and causes of unplanned extubation were analyzed by using Pareto charts. RESULTS: We found a significant decrease in the unplanned extubation rate after implementation of the first bundle of potentially better practices in May 2010 (2.38 to 0.41 per 100 patient-intubated days). Several more Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were conducted to sustain this improvement. A persistent reduction in the unplanned extubation rate (0.58 per 100 patient-intubated days) began in February 2013. Causes included dislodgement during care and procedures and variation in the fixation of the endotracheal tube. The majority of events occurred in very low birth weight infants during the daytime shift. CONCLUSIONS: Unplanned extubations in the NICU can be reduced by education of staff and by implementing standard practices of care. Sustainability of any practice change to improve quality is critically dependent on culture change within the NICU. We suggest that the benchmark for unplanned extubation should be a rate <1 per 100 patient-intubated days.