Objectives Vasopressin is used for shock and acute pulmonary hypertension in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and is associated with hyponatremia. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, severity, contributing risk factors associated with vasopressin-induced hyponatremia in neonates and infants <3 months of age in the NICU. The primary objective was to determine the incidence of hyponatremia (<130 mEq/L) and severe hyponatremia (<125 mEq/L). The secondary objectives were to compare clinical characteristics and the vasopressin regimen between those with and without hyponatremia. Methods This retrospective cohort study included neonates and infants <3 months from 1/1/2017–12/31/2022 receiving vasopressin for >6 h. Analyses were performed using SAS v9.4, with a priori less than 0.05. A multiple variable logistic regression was employed to assess odds of hyponatremia. Results Of the 105 patients included, 57 (54.3%) developed hyponatremia, and 17 (29.8%) were classified as severe hyponatremia. Overall, the median (interquartile range, IQR) gestational and postnatal age at vasopressin initiation were 35.4 (27–38.7) weeks and 2 (1–12) days. There was no difference in vasopressin dose, but duration of treatment was longer in those with hyponatremia. Higher baseline serum sodium was associated with decreased odds of hyponatremia [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.90 (95% CI: 0.83–0.99), p = 0.03], and increased vasopressin duration was associated with increased odds of hyponatremia [aOR: 1.02 (95% CI: 1.01–1.03), p < 0.001]. Conclusions Hyponatremia occurred in half of patients included. The pre-vasopressin sodium value and the vasopressin duration were independently associated with hyponatremia.
Neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at an increased risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an acute inflammatory intestinal injury most commonly associated with preterm infants. The rarity of this complex disease, termed cardiac NEC, has resulted in a dearth of information on its pathophysiology. However, a higher incidence in term infants, effects on more distal regions of the intestine, and potentially a differential immune response may distinguish cardiac NEC as a distinct condition from the more common preterm, classical NEC. In this review, risk factors, differentiated from those of classical NEC, are discussed according to their potential contribution to the disease process, and a general pathogenesis is postulated for cardiac NEC. Additionally, biomarkers specific to cardiac NEC, clinical outcomes, and strategies for achieving enteral feeds are discussed. Working towards an understanding of the mechanisms underlying cardiac NEC may aid in future diagnosis of the condition and provide potential therapeutic targets.
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is the most common cardiovascular problem that develops in extremely preterm infants and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Uncertainty exists on whether early pharmacotherapeutic treatment of a clinically symptomatic and echocardiography-confirmed haemodynamically significant PDA in extremely preterm infants improves outcomes. Given the wide variation in the approach to PDA treatment in this gestational age (GA) group, a randomised trial design is essential to address the question. Before embarking on a large RCT in this vulnerable population, it is important to establish the feasibility of such a trial.
Targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) refers to the use of comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation and physiologic data to obtain accurate, reliable, and real-time information on developmental hemodynamics in sick newborns. The comprehensive assessment is based on a multiparametric approach that overcomes the reliability issues of individual measurements, allows for earlier recognition of cardiovascular compromise and promotes enhanced diagnostic precision and timely management. TnECHO-driven research has led to an enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of illness and the development of predictive models to identify at-risk populations. This information may then be used to formulate a diagnostic impression and provide individualized guidance for the selection of cardiovascular therapies. TnECHO is based on the expert consultative model in which a neonatologist, with advanced training in neonatal hemodynamics, performs comprehensive and standardized TnECHO assessments. The distinction from point of care ultrasonography (POCUS), which provides limited and brief one-time assessments, is important. Neonatal hemodynamics training is a 1-year structured program designed to optimize image acquisition, measurement analysis, and hemodynamic knowledge (physiology, pharmacotherapy) to support cardiovascular decision-making. Neonatologists with hemodynamic expertise are trained to recognize deviations from normal anatomy and appropriately refer cases of possible structural abnormalities. We provide an outline of neonatal hemodynamics training, the standardized TnECHO imaging protocol, and an example of representative echo findings in a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus.
Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) use in premature newborns remains controversial among clinicians. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Fetus and Newborn released a statement that the available data do not support routine iNO use in pre-term newborns. Despite the absence of significant benefits, 2016 California data showed that clinicians continue to utilize iNO in pre-term infants. With studies as recent as January 2017, the Cochrane review confirmed no major advantages of iNO in pre-term newborns. Still, it recognized that a subset of pre-term infants with pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) had not been separately investigated. Furthermore, recent non-randomized controlled trials have suggested that iNO may benefit specific subgroups of pre-term newborns, especially those with PHTN, prolonged rupture of membranes, and antenatal steroid exposure. Those pre-term infants who showed a clinical response to iNO had increased survival without disability. These findings underscore the need for future studies in pre-term newborns with hypoxemic respiratory failure and PHTN. This review will discuss the rationale for using iNO, controversies regarding the diagnosis of PHTN, and additional novel approaches of iNO treatment in perinatal asphyxia and neonatal resuscitation in the pre-term population < 34 weeks gestation.
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Targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) refers to the use of comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation and physiologic data to obtain accurate, reliable, and real-time information on developmental hemodynamics in sick newborns. The comprehensive assessment is based on a multiparametric approach that overcomes the reliability issues of individual measurements, allows for earlier recognition of cardiovascular compromise and promotes enhanced diagnostic precision and timely management. TnECHO-driven research has led to an enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of illness and the development of predictive models to identify at-risk populations. This information may then be used to formulate a diagnostic impression and provide individualized guidance for the selection of cardiovascular therapies. TnECHO is based on the expert consultative model in which a neonatologist, with advanced training in neonatal hemodynamics, performs comprehensive and standardized TnECHO assessments. The distinction from point of care ultrasonography (POCUS), which provides limited and brief one-time assessments, is important. Neonatal hemodynamics training is a 1-year structured program designed to optimize image acquisition, measurement analysis, and hemodynamic knowledge (physiology, pharmacotherapy) to support cardiovascular decision-making. Neonatologists with hemodynamic expertise are trained to recognize deviations from normal anatomy and appropriately refer cases of possible structural abnormalities. We provide an outline of neonatal hemodynamics training, the standardized TnECHO imaging protocol, and an example of representative echo findings in a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus.
The present review presents novel infections and better evidence on current practices related to fever in children.Studies using more accurate diagnostic methods have provided evidence for prevalence of certain diseases, their clinical presentation and anticipated complications. Answers to certain clinical dilemmas related to febrile children in a pediatric office practice have been addressed recently. Some studies have explored current issues like immunization of pregnant women with influenza vaccine and the outbreak investigation of the swine H1N1 influenza.Fever still remains the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician or emergency room. Better diagnostic methods; appropriate therapeutic or preventive strategies; and continued surveillance for novel infections have improved outcomes from both an individual and public health perspective.
