scholarly journals The Evidence Base for the Cues Program for Mothers of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: An Innovative Approach to Reduce Anxiety and Support Sensitive Interaction

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Feeley ◽  
Phyllis Zelkowitz ◽  
Ruta Westreich ◽  
David Dunkley

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, born weighing less than 1,500 g, are at risk for several developmental problems. Consequently, there has been interest in developing intervention programs to prevent such problems. This article describes the empirical evidence that guided the development of an innovative, multicomponent intervention program for mothers of VLBW infants, as well as the program content and features. Based on the evidence, the program was designed to include six sessions and commence shortly after birth to reduce maternal psychological distress during the infant’s hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit and to promote sensitive mother–infant interaction. The program incorporates various learning activities, including written materials, observational exercises, discussion, and video feedback.

Author(s):  
Santina A. Zanelli ◽  
Maryam Abubakar ◽  
Robert Andris ◽  
Kavita Patwardhan ◽  
Karen D. Fairchild ◽  
...  

Objective Severe intraventricular hemorrhage (sIVH, grades 3 and 4) is a serious complication for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and is often clinically silent requiring screening cranial ultrasound (cUS) for detection. Abnormal vital sign (VS) patterns might serve as biomarkers to identify risk or occurrence of sIVH. Study Design This retrospective study was conducted in VLBW infants admitted to two level-IV neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) between January 2009 and December 2018. Inclusion criteria were: birth weight <1.5 kg and gestational age (GA) <32 weeks, at least 12 hours of systemic oxygen saturation from pulse oximetry (SpO2) data over the first 24 hours and cUS imaging. Infants were categorized as early sIVH (sIVH identified in the first 48 hours), late sIVH (sIVH identified after 48 hours and normal imaging in the first 48 hours), and no IVH. Infants with grades 1 and 2 or unknown timing IVH were excluded. Mean heart rate (HR), SpO2, mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), number of episodes of bradycardia (HR < 100 bpm), and desaturation (SpO2 < 80%) were compared. Results A total of 639 infants (mean: 27 weeks' gestation) were included (567 no IVH, 34 early sIVH, and 37 late sIVH). In the first 48 hours, those with sIVH had significantly higher HR compared with those with no IVH. Infants with sIVH also had lower mean SpO2 and MABP and more desaturations <80%. No significant differences in VS patterns were identified in early versus late sIVH. Logistic regression identified higher HR and greater number of desaturations <80% as independently associated with sIVH. Conclusion VLBW infants who develop sIVH demonstrate VS differences with significantly lower SpO2 and higher mean HR over the first 48 hours after birth compared with VLBW infants with no IVH. Abnormalities in early VS patterns may be a useful biomarker for sIVH. Whether VS abnormalities predict or simply reflect sIVH remains to be determined. Key Points


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1032-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Sharek ◽  
Peiyi Kan ◽  
Joseph Rigdon ◽  
Manisha Desai ◽  
Courtney Nisbet ◽  
...  

Background and Objective Teamwork may affect clinical care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting. The objective of this study was to assess teamwork climate across NICUs and to test scale-level and item-level associations with health care–associated infection (HAI) rates in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. Methods Cross-sectional study of the association between HAI rates, defined as any bacterial or fungal infection during the birth hospitalization, among 6,663 VLBW infants cared for in 44 NICUs between 2010 and 2012. NICU HAI rates were correlated with teamwork climate ratings obtained in 2011 from 2,073 of 3,294 eligible NICU health professionals (response rate 63%). The relation between HAI rates and NICU teamwork climate was assessed using logistic regression models including NICU as a random effect. Results Across NICUs, 36 to 100% (mean 66%) of respondents reported good teamwork. HAI rates were significantly and independently associated with teamwork climate (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.92, p = 0.005), such that the odds of an infant contracting a HAI decreased by 18% with each 10% rise in NICU respondents reporting good teamwork. Conclusion Improving teamwork may be an important element in infection control efforts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jadwiga Wójkowska-Mach ◽  
T. Allen Merritt ◽  
Maria Borszewska-Kornacka ◽  
Joanna Domańska ◽  
Ewa Gulczyńska ◽  
...  

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-357
Author(s):  
HELEN HARRISON

To the Editor.— The authors of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development report on neonatal care1 found "important" variations among neonatal intensive care units in philosophies of treatment, methods of treatment, and short-term outcomes. In a recent meta-analysis of follow-up studies,2 researchers document a similarly haphazard approach to the long-term evaluation of very low birth weight survivors. Until randomized controlled clinical trials validate the safety and efficacy of neonatal therapies, and until long-term outcomes are assessed accurately, the treatment of very low birth weight infants should be declared experimental.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 284-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jang Hoon Lee ◽  
YoungAh Youn ◽  
Yun Sil Chang ◽  

Korea currently has the world’s lowest birth rate but a rapidly inreasing number of preterm infants. The Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), launched by the Korean Society of Neonatology under the support of Korea Centers for Disease Control, has collected population-based data for very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) born in Korea since 2013. In terms of the short-term outcomes of VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2016 registered in the KNN, the survival rate of all VLBWIs was 86%. Respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were observed in 78% and 30% of all VLBWIs, respectively. Necrotizing enterocolitis occurred in 7%, while 8% of the VLBWIs needed therapy for retinopathy of prematurity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Sepsis occurred in 21% during their NICU stay. Intraventricular hemorrhage (grade ≥III) was diagnosed in 10%. In terms of the long-term outcomes for VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2014 registered in the KNN, the post-discharge mortality rate was approximately 1.2%–1.5%, mainly owing to their underlying illness. Nearly half of the VLBWIs were readmitted to the hospital at least once in their first 1–2 years of life, mostly as a result of respiratory diseases. The overall prevalence of cerebral palsy was 6.2%–6.6% in Korea. Bilateral blindness was reported in 0.2%–0.3% of VLBWIs, while bilateral hearing loss was found in 0.8%–1.9%. Since its establishment, the KNN has published annual reports and papers that facilitate the improvement of VLBWI outcome and the formulation of essential healthcare policies in Korea.


1983 ◽  
Vol 308 (22) ◽  
pp. 1330-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Boyle ◽  
George W. Torrance ◽  
John C. Sinclair ◽  
Sargent P. Horwood

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-538
Author(s):  
DIANA M. WILLIS ◽  
JOANN CHABOT ◽  
INGEBORG C. RADDE ◽  
GRAHAM W. CHANCE

In recent years necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has become a major problem in neonatal intensive care units. Recent incidences as high as 8% in all infants with a birth weight less than 2.5 kg and 14% in those with a birth weight less than 1.5 kg have been reported from one center.1Despite intensive searches for possible causative factors, no definite entity has been identified, but asphyxia,2 circulatory changes associated with exchange transfusion,3 umbilical vessel catheterization,4 immature immune status,5infection,6-8 and hypertonic feedings9 have all been implicated. In the course of a series of nutritional studies involving thriving very-low-birth-weight infants we


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Gray ◽  
Douglas K. Richardson ◽  
Marie C. McCormick ◽  
Donald A. Goldmann

Objective. To examine the impact of admission-day illness severity on nosocomial bacteremia risk after consideration of traditional risk determinants such as birth weight and length of stay. Methods. The hospital courses for 302 consecutive very low birth weight (less than 1500 g) infants admitted to two neonatal intensive care units were examined for the occurrence of nosocomial coagulase-negative staphylococcal bacteremia. Using both cumulative incidence and incidence density as measures of bacteremia risk, we explored the relation between illness severity (as measured by the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology [SNAP]) and bacteremia both before and after birth weight adjustment. In addition, the effect of bacteremia on hospital resource use was estimated. Results. Coagulase-negative staphylococcus was the most common pathogen noted in blood cultures drawn at 48 hours after admission or later. It was isolated on at least one occasion in 53 patients (cumulative incidence of 17.5 first episodes per 100 patients). These episodes occurred during 7652 days at risk, giving an incidence density of 6.9 initial bacteremias per 1000 patient-days at risk. As expected, when compared with the nonbacteremic group, bacteremic patients were of lower birth weight (888 ± 231 vs 1127 ± 258 g; P &lt; .01) and gestational age (26.4 ± 2.1 vs 28.9 ± 2.8 weeks; P &lt; .01). In addition, these patients were more severely ill on admission (SNAP 17.3 ± 6.5 vs 12.2 ± 5.8; P &lt; .01). Even after birth weight stratification, the risk of bacteremia by both measures increased with higher SNAP scores. For example, among infants with birth weights greater than 1 kg, 25% of the most severely ill patients (SNAP 20 and higher) experienced at least one bacteremic episode, whereas the rates seen in infants with intermediate (SNAP 10 to 19) and low illness severity (SNAP 0 to 9) were 8.6% and 3.0%, respectively (χ2 for trend = 7.25; P &lt; .01). Multivariate linear regression showed that bacteremia was associated with a prolongation of neonatal intensive care unit stay of 14.0 ± 4.0 days (P &lt; .01) and an increase in hospital charges of $25 090 ± 12 051 (P &lt; .05), even after adjustment for birth weight and admission-day SNAP. Conclusions. Nosocomial coagulase-negative bacteremia is an important complication among very low birth weight infants. Assessment of illness severity with SNAP provides information regarding nosocomial infection risk beyond that available from birth weight alone.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yue-feng Li ◽  
Chuan-rui Zhu ◽  
Xue-lei Gong ◽  
Hui-ling Li ◽  
Li-kuan Xiong ◽  
...  

The very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is at great risk for marked dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. In the present study, a total of 36 VLBW infants were randomly divided into two groups, who were treated with combined probiotics and placebo, and 72 fecal specimens on days 14 and 28 of life were collected from them. Finally, 32 fecal specimens extracted from 16 preterm VLBW infants were qualified and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The primary outcome was to evaluate the change of gut microbiota in VLBW infants after combined probiotic supplement. The secondary outcome was to analyze the correlation gut microbial composition and levels of cytokines. We found that probiotic treatment, but not placebo, decreased the α-diversity of gut microbiota in VLBW infants. At the phylum level, probiotic treatment strongly increased the abundance of Firmicutes, whereas that of Proteobacteria was significantly reduced. At the family level, Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae became prevalent after probiotic treatment, while the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was reduced in the meantime. Most notably, significant correlations were observed between Lactobacillaceae abundance and serum cytokine levels. Further studies are required to shed more light on the characteristics of gut microbiota of VLBW neonates. And the modulation of microbiota should be considered to improve the survival rate of VLBW infants.


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