[Consensus on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to pain and stress in the newborn]. / Consenso sobre el abordaje diagnóstico y terapéutico del dolor y el estrés en el recién nacido.

Pain and stress experienced by the newborn have not been addressed adequately. Infants in neonatal intensive care units often undergo painful and stressful invasive procedures, and inappropriate treatment increases morbidity and mortality. At the 5th Clinical Consensus of the Ibero-American Society of Neonatology, 32 neonatologists from the region were invited to establish recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal pain and stress. Key themes were explored based on the best scientific evidence available in indexed databases. All attendees participated actively in a meeting in Santiago, Chile, with the objective of reaching a consensus on recommendations and conclusions. Pain and neonatal stress affect neurological development and long-term behavior and require timely diagnosis and appropriate management and treatment, including the use of drugs with an appropriate balance between effectiveness and toxicity. The Consensus emphasized the importance of assessing pain in the newborn from a multidimensional viewpoint, and provided recommendations on the indications and limitations for an individualized pharmacological therapy. The use of analgesics has precise indications but also important limitations; there is a lack of randomized studies in newborns, and adverse effects need to be considered. Nonpharmacological measures to mitigate pain were proposed. Stress management should begin in the delivery room, including maternal contact, stimulus reduction and the implementation of intervention reduction protocols. Recommendations for improving clinical practices related to neonatal pain and stress are presented.

Efficacy of Docosahexaenoic Acid for the Prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory bowel disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. In this study, a randomized double-blind parallel-group (1:1) trial was carried out in two neonatal intensive care units of two tertiary hospitals. Two hundred and twenty-five preterm newborns with an expected functional gastrointestinal tract were recruited and received an enteral dose of 75 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/kg body weight or high-oleic sunflower oil daily for 14 days from the first enteral feed after birth. Confirmed NEC was evaluated with Bell's scale from stage ≥ IIa. Two hundred and fourteen randomized infants were analyzed in terms of the intent-to-treat (DHA-group: n = 105; control-group: n = 109); data for two hundred infants were analysed per protocol. Confirmed NEC was lower in infants from the DHA-group compared with the control-group (0/100 vs. 7/100; p = 0.007), with RR = 0.93 (95% CI 0.881 to 0.981), risk difference = -7%, (95% CI -12.00 to -1.99), and number needed-to-treat = 15 (95% CI 8.3 to 50). Intent-to-treat analysis showed a lower level of treatment failure in the DHA-group compared with the control-group (6/105 (6%) vs. 16/109 (15%); p = 0.03, RR = 0.905, (95% CI 0.826 to 0.991)). The results after multivariate-regression analysis remained significant. Adverse events (apart from the incidence of NEC) were not different between groups. A daily dose of DHA for 14 days starting with the first enteral feed may prevent NEC in preterm infants.

Evaluation of the Light-Cycler® SeptiFast Test in Newborns With Suspicion of Nosocomial Sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial sepsis (NS) in newborns (NBs) is associated with high mortality rates and low microbial recovery rates. To overcome the latter problem, new techniques in molecular biology are being used. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of SeptiFast test for the diagnosis of nosocomial sepsis in the newborn. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 86 blood specimens of NBs with suspected NS (NOSEP-1 Test > 8 points) were analyzed using Light Cycler SeptiFast (LC-SF) a real-time multiplex PCR instrument. The results were analyzed with the Roche SeptiFast Identification Software. Another blood sample was collected to carry out a blood culture (BC). RESULTS: Sensitivity (Sn) and specificity (Sp) of 0.69 and 0.65 respectively, compared with blood culture (BC) were obtained for LC-SF. Kappa index concordance between LC-SF and BC was 0.21. Thirteen (15.11%) samples were BC positive and 34 (31.39%) were positive with LC-SF tests. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with BC, LC-SF allows the detection of a greater number of pathogenic species in a small blood sample (1 mL) with a shorter response time.

Consenso sobre el abordaje diagnóstico y terapéutico del dolor y el estrés en el recién nacido / Consensus on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to pain and stress in the newborn

El dolor y estrés en el recién nacido (RN) se ha tratado en forma insuficiente; los recién nacidos que ingresan a las unidades de cuidados intensivos neonatales (UCIN), a menudo deben someterse a procedimientos invasivos, dolorosos y estresantes y el tratamiento inadecuado incrementa la morbimortalidad. El V Consenso Clínico de la Sociedad Iberoamericana de Neonatología convocó a 32 neonatólogos de Iberoamérica para establecer las recomendaciones sobre diagnóstico y terapéutica del dolor y estrés neonatal. Se desarrollaron temas de relevancia, utilizando la mejor evidencia científica disponible en bases de datos indizadas. Todos participaron en forma activa en una reunión presencial en Santiago de Chile para consensuar las recomendaciones y conclusiones. El dolor y el estrés neonatal afectan el neurodesarrollo y la conducta a largo plazo, requieren el diagnóstico oportuno, el manejo y la terapéutica adecuada, incluso con fármacos que permitan balancear la efectividad y toxicidad. El Consenso señala la importancia de evaluar el dolor en el RN en forma multidimensional y proporciona recomendaciones de las indicaciones y limitaciones para la terapia farmacológica individualizada. El uso de los analgésicos tiene indicaciones precisas y debe limitarse por la carencia de estudios aleatorizados en RN, ya que en todos los casos existen efectos adversos a considerar. Se proponen medidas no farmacológicas para mitigar el dolor. El manejo del estrés debe comenzar en la sala de partos e incluir el contacto materno, la reducción de estímulos, la implementación de protocolos de intervención reducida, entre otros. SIBEN propone las recomendaciones para mejorar las prácticas clínicas relacionadas con el dolor y el estrés neonatal.

Pain and stress experienced by the newborn have not been addressed adequately. Infants in neonatal intensive care units often undergo painful and stressful invasive procedures, and inappropriate treatment increases morbidity and mortality. At the 5th Clinical Consensus of the Ibero-American Society of Neonatology, 32 neonatologists from the region were invited to establish recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal pain and stress. Key themes were explored based on the best scientific evidence available in indexed databases. All attendees participated actively in a meeting in Santiago, Chile, with the objective of reaching a consensus on recommendations and conclusions. Pain and neonatal stress affect neurological development and long-term behavior and require timely diagnosis and appropriate management and treatment, including the use of drugs with an appropriate balance between effectiveness and toxicity. The Consensus emphasized the importance of assessing pain in the newborn from a multidimensional viewpoint, and provided recommendations on the indications and limitations for an individualized pharmacological therapy. The use of analgesics has precise indications but also important limitations; there is a lack of randomized studies in newborns, and adverse effects need to be considered. Nonpharmacological measures to mitigate pain were proposed. Stress management should begin in the delivery room, including maternal contact, stimulus reduction and the implementation of intervention reduction protocols. Recommendations for improving clinical practices related to neonatal pain and stress are presented.

Nutrición parenteral total en una unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales / Parenteral nutrition in neonatal intensive care unit

Objetivo. Presentar la experiencia obtenida con el empleo de nutrición parenteral total (NPT) en neonatos de una unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales. Material y métodos. Estudiaron 83 neonatos que requirieron NPT en una UCIN. Se describen las características clínicas generales, edad de inicio, duración e indicaciones de la NPT. Se hizo el seguimiento con un perfil bioquímico y somatométrico. Se compararon resultados de laboratorio iniciales vs finales. Resultados. Predominó el sexo masculino (62.6 por ciento), con peso promedio al nacer de 1,320 g y 32 semanas de gestación. La indicación de NPT fue por apoyo nutricional, con inicio y duración a los siete y 20 días como promedio; incremento de peso de 8.5 g/día, y letalidad de 10.8 por ciento. Se encontró un incremento significativo de las concentraciones en suero de calcio, magnesio, PaO2, triglicéridos, colesterol y gamma glutamil transpeptidasa. En estos dos últimos compuestos hubo incrementos por arriba de lo normal pero sin repercusión clínica. Conclusiones. El incremento de peso (8.5 g/día) estuvo debajo de lo registrado en otros estudios. El colesterol, los triglicéridos y la gamma glutamil transpeptidasa rebasaron significativamente los valores normales, en la mayoría de los neonatos