Neonatal/Perinatology

Abnormalities of the limbs at birth can be devastating for the parents of a newborn. However, the primary care pediatrician, a rehabilitation team, and the family can help the child develop normal functioning and be independent.

A review of oxygen resuscitation in preterm infants at birth reveals that high oxygen concentrations may not be as toxic as previously thought, but also failed to identify an ideal FiO2.

By the time most of us become parents, we have been pediatricians for a while and do not find parenting all that scary. To get the right dose of empathy, think back to when we first started handling babies-in medical school. Here are some things I tell new parents.

Pediatricians need to recognize symptoms of perinatal depression in new mothers, provide basic counseling and treatment, and refer for appropriate services when needed.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a study published in Neonatology, which studied 100,000 children via an insurance database to examine the impact of phototherapy on preventing atopic dermatitis.

Infants born to mothers who receive vitamin D supplementation while pregnant are at reduced risk of being small for gestational age and experience improved growth during infancy, with no increased risk of fetal or neonatal mortality and congenital malformation. These were major findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 randomized controlled trials involving 5405 participants.

A 33-year-old female, G3P1011, was transferred from an outside facility at 33 weeks and 6 days gestation for anticipated preterm delivery secondary to preeclampsia. On prenatal ultrasound, her fetus was diagnosed with an omphalocele and delivery was preferred at an institution with a neonatal intensive care unit to manage the infant.

Technology bested several experts in diagnosing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a new study that researchers hope will improve diagnosis and management of infants affected by the potentially blinding condition.

Despite the high prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus, many pediatricians and even obstetricians lack knowledge and awareness of the adverse sequelae of this disease on children.

Investigators compared the accuracy of an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) practice guideline algorithm for diagnosing of urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2- to 23-month-olds with a new tool (UTICalc; University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) that first estimates UTI probability based on clinical variables and then, if laboratory testing is performed, updates the estimate based on the results.

Trained volunteer cuddlers provide the magic of human touch to help preemies and convalescing newborns thrive.

An analysis of about 1590 stock photographs of sleeping babies found that infants often are not portrayed in a way that is consistent with American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines on infant sleep safety.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara looks at an observational study published in PLoS Medicine that examined full term infant mortality and what the findings suggest pediatricians need to be doing.

A meta-analysis of 12 studies of the risk of death after a brief resolved unexplained event (BRUE) found that such an event does not increase an infant’s risk of dying during his or her first year. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) introduced BRUE, a sudden alteration in an infant’s breathing, color, tone, or responsiveness, as a replacement for “apparent life-threatening event” (ALTE) in a 2016 clinical practice guideline.

Outpatient pediatric providers have an essential role in the ongoing monitoring and care of a child with failure to thrive (FTT). Here’s how routine growth assessments help to identify FTT and determine effective multidisciplinary treatment.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a case control study published in Pediatrics that looked at whether associations existed between mother receiving influenza and/or Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy and infant hospitalization or death occurring in the first 6 months of life.

For Winter Berry, DO, addressing diaper need in urban Syracuse was just the start of her child advocacy work.

Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) is highly sensitive and specific for diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to a study in febrile children aged up to 24 months.

Breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 months has a significant protective effect against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), almost halving the risk of its occurrence.

Parental refusals of protocols in the newborn nursery do happen. Providers need to know how to respond to parents with patient-centered yet medically safe care for their newborns.

Pediatricians need to stay committed to following those infants with possible exposure to Zika to understand the effects of Zika infection and ensure appropriate care and services.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a recent prospective birth cohort study published in Pediatrics that looked at different feeding methods for infants and whether the methods had any link to asthma.

Being exposed to recordings of their mothers’ voices limited pain preterm infants experienced while undergoing heel lance procedures, according to a study conducted in an Italian neonatal intensive care unit.

A study of the accuracy of a technology for assessing jaundice in outpatient neonates based on analysis of digital images demonstrated that this smartphone application (app) may be useful for screening newborns for jaundice.

New research looks at the role of maternal-placental-fetal interaction on cognitive function and disease.

There are challenges to defining normal or healthy levels of vitamin D. The question, therefore, is whether to recommend vitamin D supplementation for breastfeeding mothers, their breastfed infants, or both.

A new study detailing the impact of early infection, antibiotics, and vaccines in preterm infants also offers hope that new vaccine therapies could help decrease sepsis and long-term damage in this vulnerable population.