scholarly journals Profile and early prediction of neuromotor outcome of very low birth weight infants

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Saugata Chaudhuri ◽  
Suchandra Mukherjee ◽  
Tanmoy Kumar Bose ◽  
Turna Roy Chowdhury ◽  
Kaushik Jana ◽  
...  

Background: Very low birth weight infants are at increased risk of developmental disorder. Early identification is necessary for planning and implementation of early intervention. Aims and Objective: To test the association of neurological examination at 40 weeks and 3 months with neuro motor outcome of VLBW infants at 24 months and to identify the perinatal and neonatal risk factors for atypical neurological outcome. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective cohort study. Consecutive 120 VLBW infants were enrolled in a single centre level III neonatal unit of a teaching hospital. Neuro motor assessment was done by Dubowitz neurological examination at 40 weeks and by Hammersmith infant neurological examination (HINE) at 3 months and 12 months at neurodevelopmental clinic. Motor assessment were performed by Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at 6 and 12 months and by Bayley Scale of Infant & Toddler scale, (BSID) 3rd edition at 6,12 and 24 months respectively. All assessment ages were corrected for prematurity. Results: At 12 months 4.5% infants developed abnormal tone and 5.6% had motor delay. Four infants developed cerebral palsy at 24 months. Shock in neonatal period had significant association with suboptimal motor outcome at 12 months. Suboptimal HINE score at 12 months was rightly predicted at 3 months by HINE. Conclusion: Early anticipation and early identification of abnormal neuro motor outcome of VLBW infants can be used as simple and cost-effective measures for preventing long term neuro motor morbidity at resource limited countries.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 62-67
Author(s):  
Saugata Chaudhuri ◽  
Suchandra Mukherjee ◽  
Tanmoy Kumar Bose ◽  
Turna Roy Chowdhury

Background: Very low birth weight infants are at increased risk of language, cognition delay and also hearing impairment disorder. Identification is essential for early intervention. Aims and Objectives: To estimate the burden of language, cognition delay and hearing impairment at 24 months of corrected gestation and to test the association of examination at 6 months and 12 months with the language and cognitive outcome of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants at 24 months and to identify the perinatal and neonatal risk factors for atypical outcome. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective cohort study. Consecutive 120 VLBW infants were enrolled in a single centre level III neonatal unit of a teaching hospital. Hearing assessment was done before discharge and 3 monthly. Language and cognitive assessment was done by DASII Scale neu at 6 months and BSIDIII Scale at 12 months and 24 months at neurodevelopmental clinic. Language assessment was further done by REELS-3 Subscale at 24 months. All assessment ages were corrected for prematurity. Results: At 24 months 7.8% infants developed Language delay and 4.7% had cognition delay. Four infants developed cerebral palsy at 24 months. Shock in neonatal period had significant association with suboptimal Hearing, Language and Cognitive outcome at 12 months of corrected gestation. Conclusion: Early anticipation and early identification of abnormal hearing, language and cognitive outcome of VLBW infants can be used as simple and cost-effective measures for preventing long-term morbidity at resource limited countries.


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


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.


Author(s):  
S.H. Elbeely ◽  
M.A. AlQurashi

BACKGROUND: Very low birth weight infants born prematurely are at greater risk for growth delays that lead to Ex-utero Growth Restriction (EUGR) during vulnerable periods of organ structural and functional development. There is considerable evidence that early growth failure has adverse effects on long term neurodevelopment in children which often persists into adulthood. METHODS: This is a single-center cross-sectional study on live newborn infants with birth weight ranges from 500 to 1500 grams (VLBW) and gestational age (GA) between 24–32 weeks who were admitted to NICU at KAMC-Jeddah over a 5 year period (2009–2013). This study aims to evaluate predischarge growth pattern of VLBW infants in terms of weight, head circumference (HC) and length and to identify important variables that have influenced such growth pattern. RESULTS: Of the 135 infants included in the final analysis, 68 (50.4%) were male and 67 (49.6%) were female and the mean gestational age was 28.83±2.064 weeks and the mean birth weight 1166.74±256 grams. Ninety-two infants (68%) had discharge weight at ≤10th percentile and forty four (32%) had their weight >10th percentile. HC was the lowest affected among the anthropometric measurements with 42% ≤10th percentile. In terms of linear growth, 62% had their length ≤10th percentile. Amongst infants born ≤750 grams, 71% and 70% had HC and height at ≤10th percentile respectively, at the time of discharge. BPD was significantly associated with EUGR (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that almost 2/3rd of VLBW infants born at KAMC-Jeddah with birth weight ≤750 grams were discharged home with EUGR as demonstrated by their weight, length, and HC ≤10th percentile. BPD was found to be significantly associated with EUGR amongst post-natal factors influencing EUGR.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (14) ◽  
pp. 1389-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coleen Greecher ◽  
Kim Doheny ◽  
Kristen Glass

Aim Oropharyngeal administration of colostrum (OAC) has been proposed to provide mother's early milk to very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants in the first few days of life. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that OAC would increase salivary secretory IgA (SsIgA). Patients and Methods Overall, 30 VLBW infants randomized to receive OAC or sterile water had salivary sampling for SsIgA on the day of life (DOL) 2, 7, and 14. The incidence of late-onset sepsis (LOS) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was determined prospectively. Within and between-group comparisons were made by paired and independent samples t-tests. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. SsIgA was higher in OAC versus the control group (p < 0.05) on DOL 7, but not subsequently on DOL 14. There was no difference in LOS or NEC. Conclusion OAC increased SsIgA at DOL 7. A large, multicenter trial is needed to determine if OAC decreases LOS or NEC in VLBW infants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
Gordana Vilotijevic-Dautovic ◽  
Aleksandra Doronjski ◽  
Gordana Vijatov-Djuric ◽  
Milena Bjelica

Introduction/Objective. The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) varies depending on the prematurity rate, definition, and therapy that are applied at a certain center. The average incidence of BPD for very low birth weight infants (VLBW) in developed countries ranges 4?53%. The mortality of VLBW infants is high and represents 50% of the total neonatal and infant mortality. In recent years, the survival limits are shifted towards lower gestations. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence and severity of BPD in VLBW infants in Vojvodina and the overall mortality. Methods. This retrospective study was conducted from January 2006 to December 2011 and included 504 infants with birth weight < 1,500 g. Results. In the total premature infants? population, 82.3% survived by the gestational age of 36 weeks. According to the original definition of BPD, as supplemental oxygen use at 28 days of life, BPD had 45.4% of infants. According to the severity based definition 19.4% had mild BPD, 19.8% moderate BPD and 6.5% severe BPD. If BPD is observed as supplemental oxygen use at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, BPD had 26% of infants. Conclusion. The overall mortality and incidence of BPD in our study are comparable to those in some developed countries and lower compared to underdeveloped countries.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2869
Author(s):  
Ting Ting Fu ◽  
Heather C. Kaplan ◽  
Trayce Fields ◽  
Alonzo T. Folger ◽  
Katelyn Gordon ◽  
...  

Protein content is often inadequate in donor breast milk (DBM), resulting in poor growth. The use of protein-enriched target-pooled DBM (DBM+) has not been examined. We compared three cohorts of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, born ≤ 1500 g: DBM cohort receiving > 1-week target-pooled DBM (20 kcal/oz), MBM cohort receiving ≤ 1-week DBM, and DBM+ cohort receiving > 1-week DBM+. Infants followed a standardized feeding regimen with additional fortification per clinical discretion. Growth velocities and z-scores were calculated for the first 4 weeks (n = 69 for DBM, 71 for MBM, 70 for DBM+) and at 36 weeks post-menstrual age (n = 58, 64, 59, respectively). In total, 60.8% MBM infants received fortification >24 kcal/oz in the first 30 days vs. 78.3% DBM and 77.1% DBM+. Adjusting for SGA, length velocity was greater with DBM+ than DBM in week 1. Average weight velocity and z-score change were improved with MBM compared to DBM and DBM+, but length z-score decreased similarly across all groups. Incidences of NEC and feeding intolerance were unchanged between eras. Thus, baseline protein enrichment appears safe in stable VLBW infants. Weight gain is greatest with MBM. Linear growth comparable to MBM is achievable with DBM+, though the overall length trajectory remains suboptimal.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian F. Poets ◽  
Brigitte Sens

Objective. There have been indications of a recent decrease in intubation rates of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in Germany. We wanted to quantify this decrease and analyze its effect on clinical outcome. Methods. Population-based data on the treatment and outcome at hospital discharge from a statewide quality assurance program were analyzed for 2001 VLBW infants (500 to 1499 g) born from 1992 to 1994 in Lower Saxony, North Germany. Results. The proportion of patients not intubated and mechanically ventilated increased from 7% to 14% in infants less than 1000 g and from 28% to 44% in those greater than or equal to 1000 g (P &lt; .02 and &lt; .01, respectively). This increase was not associated with any significant increase in adverse outcome such as death, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leucomalacia, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Instead, there was an increase in the proportion of infants less than 1000 g who survived without BPD (from 38% in 1992 to 48% in 1994; P &gt; .05) and a decrease in the proportion of infants greater than or equal to 1000 g in whom BPD developed (from 14% to 9%; P &lt; .05). Conclusions. The data from a statewide quality assurance program show a significant reduction in the aggressiveness of the treatment of VLBW infants, which was not associated with an increased mortality or morbidity. This observational study, however, cannot define whether a more selective approach to the intubation of VLBW infants will ultimately result in a better outcome. A randomized, controlled trial would be required to answer this clinically important question.


Author(s):  
Angela C. Zeigler ◽  
John E. Ainsworth ◽  
Karen D. Fairchild ◽  
James L. Wynn ◽  
Brynne A. Sullivan

Objective Scores to predict sepsis or define sepsis severity could improve care for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. The heart rate characteristics (HRC) index (HeRO score) was developed as an early warning system for late-onset sepsis (LOS), and also rises before necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The neonatal sequential organ failure assessment (nSOFA) was developed to predict sepsis-associated mortality using respiratory, hemodynamic, and hematologic data. The aim of this study was to analyze the HRC index and nSOFA near blood cultures in VLBW infants relative to diagnosis and sepsis-associated mortality. Study Design Retrospective, single-center study of VLBW infants from 2011 to 2019. We analyzed HRC index and nSOFA around blood cultures diagnosed as LOS/NEC. In a subgroup of the cohort, we analyzed HRC and nSOFA near the first sepsis-like illness (SLI) or sepsis ruled-out (SRO) compared with LOS/NEC. We compared scores by diagnosis and mortality during treatment. Results We analyzed 179 LOS/NEC, 93 SLI, and 96 SRO blood culture events. In LOS/NEC, the HRC index increased before the blood culture, while nSOFA increased at the time of culture. Both scores were higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors and in LOS/NEC compared with SRO. The nSOFA 12 hours after the time of blood culture predicted mortality during treatment better than any other time point analyzed (area under the curve 0.91). Conclusion The HRC index provides earlier warning of imminent sepsis, whereas nSOFA after blood culture provides better prediction of mortality. Key Points


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (13) ◽  
pp. 1331-1338 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Wallman-Stokes ◽  
J. Isler ◽  
R. Sahni ◽  
J. Moorman ◽  
K. Fairchild ◽  
...  

Background We previously showed, in a single-center study, that early heart rate (HR) characteristics predicted later adverse outcomes in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. We sought to improve predictive models by adding oxygenation data and testing in a second neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods HR and oxygen saturation (SpO2) from the first 12 hours and first 7 days after birth were analyzed for 778 VLBW infants at two NICUs. Using multivariate logistic regression, clinical predictive scores were developed for death, severe intraventricular hemorrhage (sIVH), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), treated retinopathy of prematurity (tROP), late-onset septicemia (LOS), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Ten HR-SpO2 measures were analyzed, with first 12 hours data used for predicting death or sIVH and first 7 days for the other outcomes. HR-SpO2 models were combined with clinical models to develop a pulse oximetry predictive score (POPS). Net reclassification improvement (NRI) compared performance of POPS with the clinical predictive score. Results Models using clinical or pulse oximetry variables alone performed well for each outcome. POPS performed better than clinical variables for predicting death, sIVH, and BPD (NRI > 0.5, p < 0.01), but not tROP, LOS, or NEC. Conclusion Analysis of early HR-SpO2 characteristics adds to clinical risk factors to predict later adverse outcomes in VLBW infants.


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