Lenticulostriate vasculopathy in routine brain ultrasonography in infants: next step?

Lenticulostriate vasculopathy (LSV) is a relatively common fi nding in routine cranial ultrasound examination that has been associated with many infectious and non-infectious conditions. The aim of this review was to provide a better understanding of LSV ultrasound fi nding, as well as the need for further laboratory and imaging examinations in infants. The most of the published studies represented small series, with few prospective long-term studies involving the control groups. Authors have mostly found an association between LSV, especially higher-grade (although there is no universally accepted classifi cation) with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, classifying those children as at risk for sensorineural hearing loss. In contrast, some authors pointed out that LSV could be found relatively often, and believe that isolated LSV, especially lower-grade, is not predictive for an unfavourable outcome and a long-term prognosis. Therefore, although 35 years have passed since the fi rst publication of LSV, there is still no consensus among experts on the clinical signifi cance of isolated LSV, but caution is certainly needed given the fact that most infants with congenital CMV are asymptomatic

Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of selected congenital anomalies at the largest Bosnian pediatric surgery tertiary center

Congenital anomalies (CA) are any abnormality present at birth, either structural or functional, that may potentially affect an infant's health, development, and/or survival. There is a paucity of studies on clinical characteristics and outcomes of CA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly due to the lack of a nationwide congenital malformations monitoring system. A 5-year hospital-based study was conducted to determine the prevalence at birth and clinical characteristics of selected major CA in Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ninety-one CA were observed from 2012 to 2016 (the overall prevalence was 39.6 cases/10,000 live births). The mean age of neonates at diagnosis was 3 days. The gastrointestinal tract was the most commonly affected system (76.9%), with esophageal atresia (EA) being the most frequent (17.6% of all CA). Major CA were more prevalent among preterm infants than term infants (P=.001), particularly in males (61.5% vs. 38.5%; P=.028; M:F ratio was 1.59). Multiple CA were seen in 37.4% of neonates. The overall mortality rate of neonates was 11%, and the median length of hospital stay was 19.8 days. Our study revealed the distribution and clinical patterns of common major CA in the largest tertiary care facility in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also confirmed a relatively high mortality rate, which requires further efforts to improve the quality of neonatal care in the country

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Pneumothorax in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome: focus on risk factors

Introduction: Pneumothorax is a life threatening condition, more often seen in immature infants receiving mechanical ventilation. It carries a significant risk of death and impaired outcome. Objective: To determine predictive factors for the occurrence of pneumothorax in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Patients and methods: The present study was conducted in a tertiary research and educational hospital, NICU, Pediatric Clinic UKC Sarajevo, from January 2010 to December 2013. All infants had chest X-ray at admission, and were treated due to RDS with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), mechanical ventilation, or high frequency oscillatory ventilation. At admission we registered data regarding birth weight, gestational age, Apgar score, prenatally given steroids. Inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 417 infants. Data about timing, circumstances, side and treatment of pneumothorax were gathered from medical records. Results: Mean birth weight was 1,477 g, mean gestational age 29.6 weeks. We report 98 infants who did not survive. We also report incidence of pneumothorax in 5% of the infants with RDS. In this study pneumothorax and non-pneumothorax groups didn’t differ regarding sex, gestational age (median 29 and 30) nor birth weight (p = 0.818). Apgar score at the 1st and 5th minute of life had no influence in genesis of pulmonary air leak, neither prenatally given steroids (p = 0.639), nor surfactant administration. There was a low coverage of preterm infants with prenatal steroids (overall 28.29%). We found that FiO2 ≥ 0.4 in the first 12 hours of life, and need for mechanical ventilation are predicting factors for developing pneumothorax (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Together with mechanical ventilation, inspired fraction of oxygen higher than 40%, needed to provide adequate oxygenation in the first 12 hours of life in preterm infants, could be a predictive factor in selecting the highest risk babies for development of neonatal pneumothorax

Neonatal seizures: Etiology, treatment and prognosis

Introduction: Seizures are one of the most common pathologies in newborns. Their incidence is 1.5–3.5/1000 for term infants and 10–130/1000 for preterms. The most common causes of seizures in term infants are hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebrovascular insult (CVI), cerebral malformations (CM), and metabolic disorders. For preterm infants: intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and infections. Clinical characteristics are diverse and subtle, and subclinical forms are common. The drug of the first choice is phenobarbitone. Newborns with seizures are more prone to developing neurological disturbances such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Methods: This is a clinical, observational research, one-year, retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of neonatal intensive care and neonatology of the Clinic of Pediatrics KCUS. The study included 43 newborns who met the inclusion criteria. Results: We found that 7.19% of hospitalized newborns had seizures. A number of seizures were recorded in the group of term infants with an earlier time of seizures. The most common etiological causes were: HIE, IVH, infections, and CM. There was a frequent occurrence of metabolic disorders such as acidosis, blood sugar, and mineral (Ca, K, Na, and Mg) disorders. The median of the first day of onset of seizures in full-term infants is on the fourth day, while in premature infants it is on the sixth day of life. Phenobarbitone was mainly used to stop seizures, with great success. Overall mortality in children with seizures was 37.21%. Conclusions: Seizures are common in newborns, which, depending on the etiological cause, increase mortality, especially in preterm infants. Seizures in term infants occur earlier than in premature infants. The most common etiology of seizures in term infants are infections, hypoxemic-ischemic encephalopathy, intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral malformations, and cerebrovascular insult. In premature infants these are hypoxemic-ischemic encephalopathy, intracranial bleeding, and infections. In the initial treatment of neonatal convulsions, phenobarbitone is most often used, which has proven to be successful in the majority of cases

The Effects of Ranitidine Treatment on the Risk of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants: A Case-Control Study.

Gastric acidity plays an important role in the protection of infants against various pathogens from the environment. The histamine-2 receptor blockers (H2-blockers) are off-labeled drugs that are frequently prescribed in preterm neonates to prevent stress ulcers. The impact of the H2-blockers on the development of the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants is still controversial, particularly in the developing world. One hundred twenty-two preterm infants were enrolled in the study. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify potential postnatal risk factors associated with NEC. Preterm infants (n = 51) with total NEC, medical NEC, and surgical NEC had the highest rate of receiving ranitidine compared with controls (n = 71) (39.2%, 19.6%, and 47.6%, p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that ranitidine use and nosocomial infections were significantly associated with NEC development (odds ratios 1.55 and 3.3). We confirm that ranitidine administration was associated with an increased risk of NEC in preterm infants. H2-blockers use should be only administered in very strictly selected cases after careful consideration of the risk-benefit ratio

Palivizumab prophylaxis of RSV infections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Background: Palivizumab is indicated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis in high-risk children. Methods: Observational study, based on 4 sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), with institutional reports of infants at high risk for RSV who received at least 1 dose of palivizumab during the 2008-2013 RSV seasons. Results: Across 6 RSV seasons, from 2008/9 to 2013/14, 589 infants were enrolled (0.29% of livebirths population). Of all infants, 290 (49.2%) were enrolled for prematurity only, 82 (13.9%) for bronchopulmonary dysplasia/chronic lung disease (BPD/CLD), 201 (34.1%) for congenital heart disease (CHD), and 13 (2.2%) for other reasons; 365 (61.9%) infants in total were born before 33 weeks. Average gestational age of preterm infants enrolled for prematurity only was 30.2 ± 3.2 weeks; for preterm infants with BPD/CLD it was 28.3 ± 3.7 weeks. Overall average of palivizumab injections was 4.1 ± 1.0. Hospitalization rate related to severe lower respiratory infections (LRI) during the period of protection by palivizumab was 1.2%. Respiratory infections which deserved medical attention were observed in 3.7% infants included in palivizumab prophylaxis. Conclusion: RSV prophylaxis in B&H is provided systematically and successfully, following the national guidance established in 2009, with the aim of achieving a good cost-benefit ratio, with very low hospitalization rate for severe LRI in prophylaxed infants. New randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance revised in 2014 will be taken into account in establishing a new national recommendation