Late preterm infants: near term but still in a critical developmental time period

Late preterm (LP) infants are defined as those born at 34-0/7 to 36-6/7 weeks' gestational age. LP infants were previously referred to as near term infants. The change in terminology resulted from the understanding that these infants are not fully mature and that the last 6 weeks of gestation represent a critical period of growth and development of the fetal brain and lungs, and of other systems. There is accumulating evidence of higher risks for health complications in these infants, including serious morbidity and a threefold higher infant mortality rate compared with term infants. This information is of critical importance because of its scientific merits and practical implications. However, it warrants a critical and balanced review, given the apparent overall uncomplicated outcome for the majority of LP infants. Others reviewed the characteristics of LP infants that predispose them to a higher risk of morbidity at the neonatal period. This review focuses on the long-term neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes, with the main aim to suggest putative prenatal, neonatal, developmental, and environmental causes for these increased morbidities. It demonstrates parallelism in the trajectories of pulmonary and neurologic development and evolution as a model for fetal and neonatal maturation. These may suggest the critical developmental time period as the common pathway that leads to the outcomes. Disruption in this pathway with potential long-term consequences in both systems may occur if the intrauterine milieu is disturbed. Finally, the review addresses the practical implications on perinatal and neonatal care during infancy and childhood

Effects of placental transfusion in extremely low birthweight infants: Meta-analysis of long- and short-term outcomes

Background Risks and benefits of increasing placental transfusion in extremely preterm infants (extremely low birthweight [ELBW], \u3c1000 g) are ill defined. We performed a meta-analysis to compare long- and short-term outcomes of ELBW infants in trials of enhanced placental transfusion regimens. Study Design and Methods We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of delayed umbilical cord clamping or umbilical cord milking in compliance with PRISMA and Cochrane Collaborative guidelines for systematic reviews. We searched multiple databases for medical literature up to December 2012. Inclusion criteria were preterm infants less than 30 weeks and less than 1000 g birthweight, randomly assigned to enhanced placental transfusion (either delayed cord clamping or cord milking) versus immediate cord clamping. The primary outcome was standardized neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 to 24 months corrected age using a standardized scale. Several short-term outcomes were also evaluated as secondary variables. Results We found 19 studies of which 10 studies could be included (n = 199). Three reported neurodevelopmental outcomes, none of which showed significant rates of disability. Two reported these at 18 to 24 months (n = 42) but used different scales preventing pooling. Short-term benefits of enhanced placental strategies included better blood pressure and hemoglobin on admission, along with reduced blood transfusions, a trend to reduced intraventricular hemorrhage, and episodes of late-onset sepsis. Conclusions Strategies to enhance placental transfusion may improve short-term outcomes of ELBW infants. However, paucity of data on neurodevelopmental outcomes and safety concerns tempers enthusiasm for these interventions. Appropriately designed RCTs to assess short-term and long-term outcomes are needed in ELBW infants. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks

Oxygen saturation histogram classification system to evaluate response to doxapram treatment in preterm infants

Background: An oxygen saturation (SpO2) histogram classification system has been shown to enable quantification of SpO2 instability into five types, based on histogram distribution and time spent at SpO2 ≤ 80%. We aimed to investigate this classification system as a tool to describe response to doxapram treatment in infants with severe apnea of prematurity. Methods: This retrospective study included 61 very-low-birth-weight infants who received doxapram. SpO2 histograms were generated over the 24-h before and after doxapram start. Therapy response was defined as a decrease of ≥1 histogram types after therapy start. Results: The median (IQR) histogram type decreased from 4 (3–4) before to 3 (2–3) after therapy start (p < 0.001). The median (IQR) FiO2 remained constant before (27% [24–35%]) and after (26% [22–35%]) therapy. Thirty-six infants (59%) responded to therapy within 24 h. In 34/36 (94%) of the responders, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was not required during the first 72 h of therapy, compared to 15/25 (60%) of non-responders (p = 0.002). Positive and negative predictive values of the 24-h response for no IMV requirement within 72 h were 0.46 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusions: Classification of SpO2 histograms provides an objective bedside measure to assess response to doxapram therapy and can serve as a tool to detect changes in oxygenation status around respiratory interventions. Impact: The SpO2 histogram classification system provides a tool for quantifying response to doxapram therapy.The classification system allowed estimation of the probability of invasive mechanical ventilation requirement, already within a few hours of treatment.The SpO2 histogram classification system allows an objective bedside assessment of the oxygenation status of the preterm infant, making it possible to assess the changes in oxygenation status in response to respiratory interventions

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Childhood in Late Preterms: Comparison to Early Preterms and Term-Born Controls

Background: Late preterm (340&ndash;366 weeks gestational age [GA]) infants may have abnormal pulmonary development and possible exercise physiology parameters. We aim to assess the effect of late prematurity on exercise capacity in childhood and to compare it to early preterm (EP) (born &lt; 300 GA), and to term healthy control (TC) (&gt;370 week GA). Methods: Late preterm and early preterm (7&ndash;10 years) completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and spirometry and were compared to EP and to TC. Results: Eighty-four children (age 9.6 &plusmn; 1.0 years, 48% girls) participated. Twenty-one former LP were compared to 38 EP (15 with Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) [EP+], 23 without BPD [EP&minus;]) and to 25 TC children. Peak oxygen uptake (peakV&#775;O2) was statistically lower than in the TC, but within the normal range, and without difference from the EP (LP 90.2 &plusmn; 15.1%, TC 112.4 &plusmn; 16.9%, p &lt; 0.001; EP+ 97.3 &plusmn; 25.5%, EP&minus; 85.4 &plusmn; 20.8%, p = 0.016 and p &lt; 0.001, respectively, when compared with TC). Lung function (FEV1) was lower than normal only in the EP+ (75.6 &plusmn; 14.9% predicted, compared with 12.5 &plusmn; 87.8 in EP&minus;, 87.5 &plusmn; 16.9 in LP and 91.0 &plusmn; 11.7 in TC). Respiratory and cardiac limitations were similar between all four study groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated lower exercise capacity (peakV&#775;O2) in former LP children compared with healthy term children. Exercise capacity in LP was comparable to that of EP, with and without BPD. However, the exercise test parameters, specifically peakV&#775;O2, were within the normal range, and no significant physiological exercise limitations were found

Three-step management of a newborn with a giant, highly vascularized, cervical teratoma: a case report

Abstract Background A giant congenital cervical teratoma is often highly vascularized; thus, in addition to a life-threatening airway occlusion at birth it comprises a high risk for significant and lethal blood loss during resection. In the case presented, an endovascular embolization of the carotid artery that supplied a giant congenital cervical teratoma was done as part of a three-stage treatment soon after birth and contributed to an overall good outcome. Embolization in cases of cervical teratomas was not described previously. Case presentation We present a case of a preterm newborn from a Sephardic jewish origin with a giant, highly vascularized, congenital cervical teratoma that was managed successfully in three stages: (1) delivery by an ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure after extensive preoperative planning and followed by tracheostomy, (2) endovascular embolization of the carotid artery that supplied the tumor in order to decrease blood loss during resection, and (3) complete surgical resection. The parents were involved in all the ethical and medical decisions, starting just after the cervical mass was diagnosed prenatally. Conclusion The management of giant congenital cervical teratoma is often challenging from both a medical and ethical prospective. Meticulous perinatal planning and parents’ involvement is crucial. Endovascular embolization of the tumor feeding vessels can significantly improve the resection outcome and overall prognosis