Blood pressure intervention levels in preterm infants : pilot randomised trial

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of a trial allocating different blood pressure (BP) intervention levels for treatment in extremely preterm infants. DESIGN: Three-arm open randomised controlled trial performed between February 2013 and April 2015. SETTING: Single tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Infants born <29 weeks' gestation were eligible to participate, if parents consented and they did not have a major congenital malformation. INTERVENTIONS: Infants were randomised to different levels of mean arterial BP at which they received cardiovascular support: active (<30 mm Hg), moderate (<gestational age mm Hg) or permissive (signs of poor perfusion or <19 mm Hg). Once this threshold was breached, all were managed using the same treatment guideline. BP profiles were downloaded continuously; cardiac output and carotid blood flow were measured at 1 day and 3 days, and amplitude integrated EEG was recorded during the first week. Cranial ultrasound scans were reviewed blind to study allocation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Inotrope usage and achieved BP. RESULTS: Of 134 cases screened, 60 were enrolled, with mean gestation 25.8 weeks (SD 1.5) and birth weight 817 g (SD 190). Invasively measured BP on the first day and inotrope usage were highest in the active and lowest in the permissive arms. There were no differences in haemodynamic or EEG variables or in clinical complications. Predefined cranial ultrasound findings did not differ significantly; no infants in the active arm had parenchymal brain lesions. CONCLUSION: The BP threshold used to trigger treatment affects the achieved BP and inotrope usage, and it was possible to explore these effects using this study design. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN83507686

Early onset Morganella morganii sepsis in a newborn infant with emergence of cephalosporin resistance caused by depression of AMPC beta-lactamase production.

A preterm infant with early onset Morganella morganii sepsis was treated with cefotaxime and gentamicin after confirmation of antimicrobial susceptibility. The infant developed persistent ventriculitis caused by the emergence of a cefotaxime-resistant Morganella variant with derepression of its AmpC beta-lactamase. When choosing antibiotic therapy, the risk of development of resistance to cephalosporins should be considered in infections caused by M. morganii and other Gram-negative organisms with inducible AmpC beta-lactamases

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy and the Risk of Major Congenital Malformations in Live-born Infants: A 2010-2016 Historical Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Available evidence indicates that seasonal inactivated influenza vaccination during pregnancy protects both the mother and her newborn and is safe. Nevertheless, ongoing safety assessments are important in sustaining vaccine uptake. Few studies have explored safety in relation to major congenital malformations (MCMs), particularly in the first trimester when most organogenesis occurs. METHODS: Anonymized UK primary care data (the Clinical Practice Research Datalink), including a recently developed Pregnancy Register, were used to identify live-born singletons delivered between 2010 and 2016. Maternal influenza vaccination was determined using primary care records and stratified by trimester. Ascertainment of MCMs from infant primary care records was maximized by linkage to hospitalization data and death certificates. The relationship between vaccination and MCMs recorded in the year after delivery and in early childhood was then assessed using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: A total of 78 150 live-birth pregnancies were identified: 6872 (8.8%) were vaccinated in the first trimester, 11 678 (14.9%) in the second, and 12 931 (16.5%) in the third. Overall, 5707 live births resulted in an infant with an MCM recorded in the year after delivery and the adjusted hazard ratio when comparing first-trimester vaccination to no vaccination was 1.06 (99% CI, .94-1.19; P = .2). Results were similar for second- and third-trimester vaccination and for analyses considering MCMs recorded beyond the first birthday. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, population-based historical cohort study there was no evidence to suggest that seasonal influenza vaccine was associated with MCMs when given in the first trimester or subsequently in pregnancy