Michael Karplus

Pseudooutbreak of Candida guilliermondii fungemia in a neonatal intensive care unit.

&NA; During a 3‐week period multiple blood cultures obtained from 14 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit infants and 3 Newborn Unit babies grew Candida guilliermondii, a yeast rarely associated with infections in humans. At the time of detection of positive cultures, most infants had been hospitalized for days or weeks for serious perinatal conditions and treated with antibiotics and intravenous hyperalimentation. Two critically ill premature infants from whom the yeast was isolated were given amphotericin B. In 7 other infants, however, yeasts were recovered on the day of birth, raising the question of pseudofungemia. Exhaustive interrogation on the blood culture practices revealed that when drawing blood for a culture from small infants, “butterfly” needles were often flushed with a diluted heparin solution to prevent blood clotting. Culture of a single lot of diluted heparin vials, prepared at the hospital pharmacy and distributed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Newborn Unit shortly before the onset of the epidemic, grew between 10 000 and 15 000 colony‐forming units of Candida guilliermondii/ml. Removal of contaminated heparin vials and discontinuation of heparinization of needles used for blood cultures resulted in cessation of the epidemic. The present outbreak illustrates the difficulties in recognizing pseudoinfections in sick premature infants and the importance of intensive investigation and intervention during such an outbreak.

Inheritance of familial congenital isolated anorectal malformations: Case report and review

We report on a 3-generation family with 4 members affected with congenital low anorectal malformations. The vertical segregation of the anomalies and the occurrence of affected males and females support autosomal-dominant inheritance, which was suggested previously for this type of congenital anomaly.

Breech presentation and cesarean section in term nulliparous women

OBJECTIVE To examine pregnancy outcome in nulliparous women with single term breech presentation. METHODS Two departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the same hospital used different approaches to deliver nulliparous women with singleton breech presentation at term. One department (A) delivered by trial of labor and the other (B) delivered by elective cesarean section. Prospectively and blinded to obstetric condition, parturients were assigned to either department in a systematic alternate fashion. The study period covered 8 years (1985-1992). The pregnancy outcome parameters examined were: Apgar score, intra- and post-partum death and maternal and neonatal morbidity. Neonatal morbidity was classified in three major categories: non-neurological trauma, neurological signs and respiratory problems. RESULTS The study included 264 women of whom 135 delivered in department A and 129 in department B. Department A had 35 vaginal and 100 cesarean births and department B 10 vaginal and 119 cesarean births. There was no intra-partum death and the only post-partum death occurred among vaginal deliveries. The Apgar score was significantly worse at 1 and 5 min in vaginally delivered babies of department B. Neonatal morbidity was significantly more frequent after vaginal births (P < 0.01). Maternal morbidity was significantly higher following cesarean sections (P < 0.01). Babies of vaginal deliveries had significantly higher non-neurological trauma (P < 0.01) and pathological neurological signs (P < 0.01) than those delivered by the abdominal route. CONCLUSION The level of risk for mother and child in the nulliparous with term singleton breech, suggests cesarean section as the preferred route of delivery.

Gestational diabetes among Bedouins in southern Israel: comparison of prevalence and neonatal outcomes with the Jewish population.

Differences in the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have recently been reported between various ethnic populations. In the Negev region of Israel, a universal free screening programme for GDM was implemented in 1985. Between 1 March 1987 and 31 July 1988 11 003 deliveries occurred at the Soroka Medical Center, which provides free delivery and postnatal care to the whole Jewish and Bedouin population of the region. GDM was found in 5.7% of Jewish and in 2.4% of Bedouin women (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8–2.9;P<0.0001). Ethnicity was unrelated to maternal outcome, perinatal mortality or to any of the examined morbidity conditions of the newborn. The incidence of major congenital malformations was significantly higher in Jewish than in Bedouin infants of GDM women (Fishers Exact Test,P<0.03). Conversely, Jewish infants had fewer minor congenital anomalies (odds ratio 0.26, 95% CI0.09–0.73). In a multivariate logistic regression model, gestational age, mode of delivery and insulin requirement during pregnancy were the only factors independently associated with neonatal morbidity. The results of this study suggest that in our health care system, among women with GDM ethnicity is not associated with an excess of unfavourable maternal or infant outcomes.

Postural development in very low birth weight and normal birth weight infants

In this study the seven postural responses selected by Vojta to evaluate neuromotor development were applied to 68 very low birth weight (VLBW) (greater than 1500 g) infants and to 28 healthy infants of normal birth weight (less than 2500 g). Of the 68 VLBW infants, 41 were small for gestational age and 27 appropriate for gestational age. All infants were examined between 37 and 40 weeks postmenstrual age. They were all later assessed on the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale at 12 and 18 months. There were significant differences in postural reactions between the two groups which confirmed the lower tone and greater extension previously described in very low birth weight infants. An important finding in the study was that poor head and trunk righting noted at four months corrected age in very low birth weight infants, was associated with less developed locomotion at 12 and 18 months as assessed by the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale. Thus, a delay in maturation in very low birth weight infants which was apparent from the assessment of postural responses in early infancy was still identifiable on the locomotor subscales at 12 and 18 months. Five of Vojtas responses were shown to be useful as part of the neurological assessment of high risk infants.

Aplasia Cutis Congenita in One of Monozygotic Twins

Abstract: Aplasia cutis congenita is an uncommon disorder characterized by a patchy defect of the scalp and other areas of the skin of the newborn. Several familial cases have been reported, including a set of identical twin girls. The disease was unique in our patient, one monozygotic twin.

Cesarean section — A review of two annual periods separated by a ten-year interval

In the Soroka Medical Center in Beer-Sheba during the two annual periods 1969 and 1979, 693 cesarean sections were performed, of which 633 are presented. The main reasons for the rise in cesarean section rate from 2.6% in 1969 to 8.0% in 1979 were evaluated. Cesarean sections were performed more often for fetal indications during 1979 than in 1969, reflecting the change in our approach to the management of the fetus at risk. The increase in the cesarean section rate was concomitant with a drop in the perinatal mortality from 23/1000 in 1969 to 13.1/1000 in 1979.

Do Prenatal Corticosteroids Affect Brain Maturation of the Premature Infant? An Electroencephalography Study

Objective. To assess whether prenatal treatment with betamethasone has a significant influence on cerebral maturation indices as measured by electroencephalographic (EEG) indices. Study Design. Infants born less than 35 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) were prospectively enrolled if their mother received a full course of bethametasone prior to delivery (study group) or not (control group); infants with major intracranial abnormalities were excluded as well as those who were sedated or needed assisted ventilation. EEG was recorded during the first 10 days of life. Interburst intervals and maximal amplitudes of theta and delta bandwidths were calculated by a signal processing software. A multivariate general linear model was used to analyze the relationship between the 2 groups and the different electrophysiologic parameters, adjusting for PMA and mode of delivery. Results. Thirty-eight infants were included in the study group and 36 in the control group. Univariate analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between PMA at test and EEG indices (interburst interval and delta and theta frequencies). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a less robust correlation of PMA and EEG indices and a positive correlation of prenatal betamethasone treatment with Theta frequencies. Repeating the data analysis separately for each study group, the above results remained significant mainly in the study group. Conclusions. Our findings suggest a possible stabilization effect of corticosteroids on the central nervous system and a possible delay of the maturation of cerebral activity related to prenatal corticosteroids use. These findings may relate to a better neurodevelopmental outcome of infants treated prenatally with corticosteroids.

BREECH PRESENTATION AND CESAREAN SECTION IN TERM NULLIPAROUS WOMEN

Objective: To examine pregnancy outcome in nulliparous women with single term breech presentation. Methods: Two departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the same hospital used different approaches to deliver nulliparous women with singleton breech presentation at term. One department (A) delivered by trial of labor and the other (B) delivered by elective cesarean section. Prospectively and blinded to obstetric condition, parturients were assigned to either department in a systematic alternate fashion. The study period covered 8 years (1985-1992). The pregnancy outcome parameters examined were: Apgar score, intra- and postpartum death and maternal and neonatal morbidity. Neonatal morbidity was classified in three major categories: non-neurological trauma, neurological signs and respiratory problems. Results: The study included 264 women of whom 135 delivered in department A and 129 in department B. Department A had 35 vaginal and 100 cesarean births and department B 10 vaginal and 119 cesarean births. There was no intra-partum death and the only post-partum death occurred among vaginal deliveries. The Apgar score was significantly worse at 1 and 5 min in vaginally delivered babies of department B. Neonatal morbidity was significantly more frequent after vaginal births (P < 0.01). Maternal morbidity was significantly higher following cesarean sections (P < 0.01). Babies of vaginal deliveries had significantly higher non-neurological trauma (P < 0.01) and pathological neurological signs (P < 0.01) than those delivered by the abdominal route. Conclusion: The level of risk for mother and child in the nulliparous with term singleton breech, suggests cesarean section as the preferred route of delivery.

On Quantitative Analysis of Periodicity in Neonatal Respiratory Signals

A quantitative wavelet periodicity measure was defined. This measure allows the quantitative description of wavelet periodicity in the neonatal respiratory signal. An iterative algorithm for on-line estimation of the periodicity measure may be useful as one of the features for automatic evaluation of the state of consciousness in premature infants.